Probiotics are considered very important supplements. They play a major role in ensuring the bacteria balance in the gut favors the good bacteria. In addition to ensuring good bacteria thrive in the gut, probiotics help with common cold, eczema, and irritable bowel movement.
When the average adult uses probiotics, they do not experience side effects. This, however, might not be the same for children. Probiotics might be beneficial for children, but, are they safe? If you are considering giving your kids probiotics, read on as this article contains things you must know before doing so.
What Exactly are Probiotics?
Before going ahead to give your children probiotics, you must know what exactly they are.
Bacteria are generally considered to be bad. While this bad reputation affects every single bacteria, not every bacteria is bad. For the body to stay healthy, it needs a bit of bacteria. This is because bacteria play a role in the absorption of nutrients, in fighting germs that cause sickness, and in digestion.
Everyone has both good and bad bacteria in their body. These bacteria form a community known as microbiome. In addition to the presence of good and bad bacteria, fungi and viruses also make up the microbiome. These microorganisms are found in the saliva, in the urogenital tract, on the skin, and in the gut.
When there is a change in the balance between good and bad germs in the microbiome, it could cause illnesses or an infection. An example of this is antibiotics can be used in killing bacteria that cause infections. However, beyond killing bacteria that cause infections, they also have a negative effect on good bacteria. When this occurs, it creates an opportunity for untouched bad bacteria to spread. This occurrence could lead to secondary infections. Some popular secondary infections are intestinal infections, urinary tract infections, and yeast infections.
Contained in probiotics are live bacteria that are beneficial to the body. Furthermore, these bacteria are found naturally in the body. There are times probiotics contain different bacteria strains. Other times, all they contain is a type of bacteria.
Should You Make Probiotics a Part of Your Children’s Diet?
While children are still forming in the womb, their microbiome is formed. The development of their microbiome continues through childhood. It is believed that lots of diseases occur when the microbiome is unhealthy. While probiotics can help maintain healthy microbiomes, how this happens is not very clear.
Probiotics might be famous among adults. They, however, can also be used very conveniently by children. A National Health Review Survey was carried out in 2012. According to this survey. Of all the natural products children use very frequently, probiotics are the third most used.
While probiotics are considered good for children, a lot of work is needed to determine how much children can benefit from their use. These studies will also prove if there are any risks associated with the use of probiotics by children.
According to an American Family Physician review, probiotics can be used in treating inflammatory bowel disease. Furthermore, they could reduce how long diarrhea that is caused by gastroenteritis lasts. When pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers take probiotics, the development of allergies and eczema may be lowered in their children.
According to a study that got published in JAMA Pediatrics, when infants are given probiotics in their initial three months, it could prevent acid reflux, constipation, and colic. That’s not all. According to a research review that was done in 2015, the occurrence, as well as the duration of upper respiratory tract infection was better reduced with probiotics when research was carried out with probiotics and placebo at different times. In addition to this, there was a major reduction in the number of times children had to stay away from school, as well as the frequency at which they needed to use antibiotics.
As it stands, there are lots of pieces of evidence which prove that probiotics are very beneficial to children. Nonetheless, the benefits of probiotics to children might be dependent on the strain.
A strain might come in handy in treating a certain condition and might have no effect on another condition. In addition to a lack of adequate research, the fact that a probiotic strain might be good for one condition and might not have an effect on another is a reason the use of probiotics by children is still unclear. This is even more pronounced if it will be done over a long time.
There are risks associated with giving children antibiotics. When the immune system of kids gets compromised, they could get infections. In addition to being affected by infections, they might have to deal with gas bloating. When sick children make use of probiotics, it could lead to major side effects. Going by this, if you have any intentions of giving your child probiotics, you will need to see a pediatrician. This way, you can be sure you are doing the right thing.
Are Probiotic Foods Better than Supplements
Certain foods like cultured cottage cheese and yoghurt can be consumed after probiotics have been added to them. Furthermore, in fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, and buttermilk, they occur naturally.
Certain experts are in support of the benefits associated with consuming raw milk, as well as products gotten from raw milk. Nonetheless, raw milk should not be given to children as they could contain bacteria that could cause serious diseases to children.
Are you wondering which is better between probiotic supplements and foods? At the moment, there is no defined answer to this question. More often than not, it is preferable to get your nutrients from whole foods. However, when probiotics are concerned, it might be difficult for your child to get all the probiotics they need from just food.
Why is this so?
Food goes through various processes. These processes include manufacturing and storage. Not all probiotics go through these processes and remain effective. Since there is no lab in your kitchen, you might not be able to tell the probiotics that made it out alive.
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