When children are sick, administering antibiotics is often necessary.
While providing relief from disease, antibiotics can often
weaken their immune systems, by killing off the good bacteria along with the bad.
Probiotics, however, can help strengthen young immune systems by restoring or adding to
the beneficial bacteria, without producing unintended side effects.
According to the World Health Organization Probiotics are “live microorganisms, which when
administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”
Simply put, probiotics are friendly bacteria found in the gut. They fight the bad bacteria that
cause diseases. Probiotics can be found in foods as well as
dietary supplements, and are considered very safe
for infants and children as well as adults.
Healthy Bacteria For A Healthy
Baby
Breast-fed babies generally have a lower incidence of colic and other
digestive disorders compared to bottle-fed babies, due to the presence of probiotics in mother’s
milk.
The probiotic prominently found in intestinal tracts of healthy, breast-fed infants are called
Bifidobacteria. In fact, it has been proven that bottle fed babies have very few Bifidobacteria in
their gut and tend to fall sick more often than breast-fed babies. An article published in
Prevention Magazine states that the probiotic Bifidobacteria:
- Inhibits the colonization of the intestine by invading disease-causing
bacteria by competing for nutrients and attachment sites.
- Produces anti-microbial substances that inhibit growth of common
pathogens.
- Encourage better weight gain in infants through nitrogen
retention.
- Assist in the absorption of calcium and other vitamins, and minerals;
thereby, aiding production of lactose, the enzyme necessary for milk and sugar
digestion.
Benefits of Acidophilus
The
Probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) is also very important for
the health of infants and children as it:
- Replaces the "friendly" intestinal bacteria destroyed by
antibiotics
- Helps in digestion
- Treats chronic constipation
- Treats symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel
disease
Improves lactose tolerance in children who are lactose intolerant
- Strengthens the immune system. Studies have suggested that children who
consume yogurt or milk that contains specific strains of Lactobacillus or take supplements with
Lactobacillus improve the body' s natural immune response.
Probiotics Help Fight Childhood
Diseases
These friendly micro-organisms have been found to be extremely helpful
in fighting a number of childhood diseases such as:
- Colic
- Rota virus
- Atopic eczema
- Food allergies
- Viral diarrhea
- Antibiotic-induced diarrhea
- Upper respiratory tract infections
Babies with higher concentration of Probiotics have improved general health,
fewer colds and faster recovery rates after illnesses.
Decline of Probiotics in
Infants
Infants at the time of birth are immunized with probiotics as they pass
the birth canal, entering through the baby’s mouth, the microorganisms quickly attach themselves to
the gastrointestinal wall. But babies delivered by Cesarean section are not so fortunate and
miss out on receiving the probiotics.
Bottle-fed babies also miss out on the benefits of probiotics as they do not receive Bifidobacteria
from the mother’s milk. Breast-fed babies, when weaned also lose this advantage.
Other reasons for probiotic decline can be due to:
- Vaccination
- Common infections
- Antibiotics treatments
- Abrupt changes in food habits
- Sudden changes in the weather
- Steroids and certain other drugs
As children mature, the original probiotics in their digestive systems
decline, until the intestinal flora shifts towards what is normally found in adults. Therefore it
is recommended that infants and children receive supplements with at least 5 to 10 billion
probiotics per day or higher, to keep them in the best of health.
References
http://1stprobiotics.com/probiotics-for-children.htm
http://nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/pros_and_cons_of_probiotics_in_children
http://www.peoriamagazines.com/ibi/2008/nov/probiotics-a-new-way-keep-your-children-healthy
.
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