Probiotics for Babies and Children - All You Need to Know

Introduction:

The human body consists of billions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeast. Many are harmless to the body and help in the proper functioning of the body. Probiotics play a role in many health conditions, like digestive problems, heart disease, autoimmune disease, and obesity. These help with gastrointestinal problems present in children as well.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are available naturally as well as in supplement form. These are made up of live bacteria and yeasts that are good for humans. These microorganisms were thought to cause diseases, which may be either good or bad. Probiotics are good for the body, especially in the digestive system.

Probiotics can replace the gut with good bacteria. Good bacteria were thought to be lost due to the intake of antibiotics. This can help balance the gut bacteria with good and bad bacteria. Probiotics help move food through the gut by affecting the nerves.

These can be used to treat the following conditions:

• Irritable bowel syndrome.

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

• Infectious diarrhea.

• Diarrhea caused by antibiotics.

Research has shown that probiotics may be helpful for conditions such as:

• Eczema-like skin conditions.

• Urinary and vaginal health.

• Allergies and colds can be avoided.

• Oral health.

• Improves the nervous system.

Probiotics are considered safe for most individuals, but some, with problems in immunity or related to other health conditions, are restricted from using them.

Some of the side effects caused by these include:

• Stomach upset.

• Bloating.

• Diarrhea.

• Gas.

These side effects may last for a few days.

Probiotics are useful in many ways.

These include:

• Digestion of food.

• Balance out bad bacteria to fight off infections.

• It helps create vitamins.

• Helps break down medications.

Probiotics are available in the form of food and supplements. Children are always preferred to use foods containing probiotics.

Foods containing probiotics are:

• Fermented milk.

• Thicker yogurt.

• Kombucha (a fermented drink made up of black tea).

• Saurekraut (a fermented cabbage known to be a German side dish).

• Kimchi (a spicy Korean side dish).

• Tempeh (a fermented soy product).

• Sourdough bread.

• Pickles.

What Is the Role of Probiotics in Children?

Probiotics may not work for children in the same way as for adults. Probiotics help children with digestive problems. Children suffering from gastric distress may be given probiotics along with medications. Research has found that probiotics may be helpful in cases of constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and diarrhea. These help reduce the effects of antibiotics, thereby reducing the number of medications.

According to a study, three things should be kept in mind while giving probiotics to children. This may be due to the complexity of the probiotics.

They include:

• Selecting the Right Probiotics for the Right Job: There may be thousands of bacterial strains in the digestive tract. Each carries out its job. Hence, targeting the right probiotics can be helpful. Using a generic probiotic may not be helpful for digestive problems.

• Physician’s Help: A physician can help select the probiotic for the child. Based on the symptoms present in the child, the physician will help and guide probiotics.

• Probiotics Are Not Regulated: Probiotics are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. This was proved in one of the studies, where one out of 16 probiotic pills matched what was advertised.

A study has found that probiotics can help children. Another study found that giving probiotics to children for three months made them less susceptible to respiratory problems and diarrhea. More research is required to know that probiotics help reduce children's risk of autoimmune disorders, allergies, and asthma. Some studies have found that probiotics may not help children. This may be because the microbiome in them is not completely developed. It may pass as waste without any effect.

Another study has reported that probiotics are safe in children. For some children who are affected by cancer, have compromised immune systems, and are premature infants, probiotics may cause problems, and they may not be considered safe.

A study has suggested that probiotics help with digestive problems, but it becomes important to know which probiotics are helpful for children. This may be because all probiotics may work differently than they do in adults. Most of the time, children get their probiotics from their yogurt intake.

Probiotics are measured in colony-forming units (CFU). This CFU shows how many bacteria are present in each dose. Most supplements contain 10 billion CFU per dose; some may even contain more.

Certain aspects to be considered while selecting the supplements include:

• Suitability: To know about the suitability of the probiotic for children and about the specific strains that may be helpful for their health.

• Ingredients: The ingredients should be of high quality, and they should not contain any artificial additives, fillers, or preservatives.

• Purity and Potency Testing: Supplemental forms of probiotics must have undergone testing for their purity and potency before they are consumed.

• Dosage: Probiotics should mention how much CFU is present so it becomes easy to choose supplements for children.

• Price: Each probiotic's price differs, so a proper probiotic should be selected for maximum benefits.

Some of the risks associated with probiotic use in children include

• Children with compromised immune systems may end up having infections.

• Some may experience gas and bloating.

• Children who are very sick may show serious side effects.

Probiotics can be given with yogurt and cultured cottage cheese. Probiotics are present naturally in fermented foods like buttermilk, kefir, and sauerkraut. Raw cheese can be another source of probiotics. A study reported that raw milk and its products can be a good source of probiotics, but these are not advised for children. This may be because these are thought to contain dangerous bacteria. These may lead to serious, life-threatening illnesses.

Conclusion:

Probiotics contain live bacteria and may be helpful for constipation and digestive problems in healthy children. This can help in the case of secondary infections caused by antibiotics. There is no research regarding the long-term benefits of probiotics for children. Hence, knowing about probiotics and their role in children becomes important.