There’s a new reason for mothers-to-be to include probiotic foods or supplements containing the good bacteria in their diet. Researchers say pregnant women who take probiotics at the end of their pregnancies can reduce their children’s risk of developing eczema.

According to Reuters, a study published in the journal Allergy finds that giving expectant moms with a history of allergies a select strain of probiotics during the last six weeks of pregnancy helped avoid the common skin condition in the infants.

Researchers followed about 100 children whose moms either took a mixture of three probiotic bacteria or a placebo before they were born. The children were also given the same treatment for a year. They found just six out of the 50 infants whose mothers had taken the healthy bacteria had eczema, compared to 15 out of 52 who received the placebo.

Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition thought to be related to allergies.

In addition, the probiotic group saw a benefit for up to two years.
According to WebMD, probiotics are mostly used to treat stomach and intestinal problems, like diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease.