Babies and children : When to take probiotics?
Probiotics are more and more present on the shelves and in the refrigerators of natural products. Many parents are turning to them to improve their children's health and many pediatricians are encouraging their use.
But do you know when to give your child probiotics and how they work on their little bodies?
Here is our guide for babies and children: When to take probiotics?
Bacterial flora in children
The human intestinal flora is home to over 100,000 billion bacteria. This flora, constituting the microbiotaThis flora, which constitutes the microbiota, is forged mainly between birth and the age of two years under conditions specific to each person.
The child is a being very careless of hygiene and cleanliness. They are not afraid to take a bite of dirt from the garden, eat a candy found on the sidewalk or pet a friend who has just sneezed on his clothes. Exposure to these environmental germs helps build a child's immune system.
The presence of many microbes in a child's environment may, among other things, help the body distinguish between good and bad bacteria, which in the long run modulates immunity and reduces the risk of allergies.1
However, we live in an age of sanitization.
According to the hygienist hypothesis put forward by microbiology researchers, our world, which is sanitized with disinfectants, is harmful to the child's immune development.
Although research on the Hygienic Hypothesis is still in its early stages, researchers believe that our obsession with sanitation may lead to childhood diseases, including autism, allergies and digestive disorders.2,3
That's why it's important to let children build their immunity by allowing them to discover the world with their hands and mouths, by providing a healthy and balanced diet, by making sure they get enough sleep, by encouraging them to play outside and by incorporating probiotics.
When to use probiotics
Most parents understand that probiotics are beneficial bacteria that support a child's immunity and health. However, here are the circumstances under which a baby or child may benefit from taking probiotics.
When the baby :
- Born prematurely; 4,5
- Has been hospitalized; 4
- Is born by cesarean section, without contact with the vaginal flora of the mother; 6
- Did not receive breast milk; 7
- Has colic and/or gastric reflux; 8
- Has difficulty passing stools due to constipation; 8
- Regurgitates profusely; 8
- Receives treatment with antibiotics; 9
- Enters daycare; 10
When the child:
- Has low immunity and often contracts viruses; 11
- Has diarrhea; 12
- Fights colds or flu; 13
- Receives a course of antibiotics; 9
- Must protect against viruses present at school; 10
- Is sleep deprived; 14
Different probiotics for children
Although many foods contain probiotics, they usually don't have enough to boost immunity in toddlers. Therefore, it is best to turn to supplementation.
There are several ways to administer probiotics to children.
In the world of probiotics, enteric-coated capsule filled with probiotic powder is very common. These capsules release the probiotics into the intestine. However, it is not popular with children, who generally do not like to swallow capsules.
Probiotic powder is a form often used for infants. Probiotic powder should be mixed with breast milk, formula or a fresh liquid food such as applesauce or yogurt.
Probiotic drops are beneficial for babies. A few drops can be put on the mother's nipple at the time of a feeding, or on the nipple of the bottle or pacifier.
An interesting option is the ready-to-drink probiotic drink. Bio-K+ specializes in the production of ready-to-drink probiotics. Their formula for children is easy to offer to children who will feel like they are drinking a cup of juice or smoothie.
Bio-Kidz advantages
Bio-K+ is a Quebec-based company with solid and well-established scientific credibility. Having patented a blend of three specific probiotic strains, Bio-K+ stands out for its 100% probiotic products with proven effectiveness. Bio-K+ offers a line of ready-to-drink beverages for children under the name Bio-Kidz.
Bio-Kidz contains 12.5 billion bacteria per serving, which is enough to improve a child's intestinal flora. The liquid format is convenient and easily administered to small mouths that do not like to swallow tablets.
The formula with fermented milk formula has a strawberry taste that appeals to children. As for the vegan version, the pea drink is used instead of milk, and the pea taste is undetectable under the delicious raspberry flavor.
With a juice-like texture and great fruit taste, kids will enjoy drinking every jar of Bio-Kidz!
Get your probiotics!
Véronique Cousineau; ND, NHN
verosante.com
Sources
1: Worldwide variation in prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic eczema: ISAAC. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Steering Committee", Lancet, vol. 351, no. 9111, 25 April 1999, pp. 1225-1232.
2: Wang, Yan, and Lloyd H. Kasper. "The Role of Microbiome in Central Nervous System Disorders." Brain, behavior, and immunity 38 (2014): 1-12. PMC. Web. Gut microbiota and allergic disease: new findings.
3: Christina E. West. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2014 May; 20 Aug. 2018
4: Deshpande, Girish C et al. "Evidence-Based Guidelines for Use of Probiotics in Preterm Neonates." BMC Medicine 9 (2011): 92. PMC. Web. 20 Aug. 2018.
5: Xiao-Yan Hu, Yu-Xin Zhou, Song-Zhou Xu, Yue-Yu Lin. Effects of probiotics on feeding intolerance in low birth weight premature infants. Zhongguo Dang Dai Er Ke Za Zhi. 2010 Sep; 12(9): 693-695.
6: Neu, Josef, and Jona Rushing. "Cesarean versus Vaginal Delivery: Long Term Infant Outcomes and the Hygiene Hypothesis." Clinics in perinatology 38.2 (2011): 321-331. PMC. Web. 21 Aug. 2018.
7: Guaraldi, Federica, and Guglielmo Salvatori. "Effect of Breast and Formula Feeding on Gut Microbiota Shaping in Newborns." Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 2 (2012): 94. PMC. Web. 21 Aug. 2018.
8: Flavia Indrio, Antonio Di Mauro. Prophylactic use of a probiotic in the prevention of colic, regurgitation, and functional constipation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2014 Mar; 168(3): 228-233.
9: Hempel S, Newberry SJ, Maher AR, et al. Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2012;307(18):1959–1969.
10: Michael D. Cabana, Daniel J. Merenstein. Probiotics in the Child Care Center: Context Matters. American Academy of Pediatrics. July 2017
11: Dr. Julie Durnan. 6 Ways To Boost Your Child's Immune System. Integrative Health. April 2, 2014.
12: nformed Health Online. Infectious diarrhea: Can probiotics help against diarrhea? May 4, 2016
13: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: Plain Language Summaries.Probiotics (live micro-organisms) to prevent upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). First published: February 3, 2015.
14: AlDabal, Laila, and Ahmed S BaHammam. "Metabolic, Endocrine, and Immune Consequences of Sleep Deprivation." The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal 5 (2011): 31-43. PMC. Web. 21 Aug. 2018.