
The digestive system plays a fundamental role in the comprehensive development of children, directly affecting the ability to absorb nutrients, strengthen the immune system and facilitate the physical and mental development of children. Like a smart “factory”, a healthy digestive system converts food into abundant energy, providing raw materials for the process of building and repairing the body, and at the same time acting as a protective shield against harmful agents. And probiotics are an indispensable part of this “factory operation”, maintaining a healthy digestive system for children.
Probiotics, also known as beneficial bacteria, are microorganisms that live symbiotically in the human body, especially in the digestive system. They play an essential role in maintaining intestinal health and provide many benefits for overall health. Probiotics have long been used by humans to create a number of foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh and miso, which are not only very good for health but also very delicious.
Probiotics are preparations containing microorganisms that are beneficial to the intestinal tract.
The use of probiotics has a long history, originating from ancient civilizations in the treatment of digestive or fermentation problems. However, it was not until 1907 that the term “probiotics” was published by Eli Metchnikoff, a Russian biologist, along with a scientific explanation for the beneficial effects of lactic acid bacteria found in fermented milk. And research on the use of Lactic Acid Bacteria in the diet has continued throughout the past century and has had many significant achievements. In particular, the widespread use of probiotics worldwide in supporting digestive health, boosting the immune system and improving overall health in some of the microorganisms presented below are: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Saccharomyces boulardii.
Lactobacillus is the most common probiotic, found in many fermented foods and yogurts. Lactobacillus aids in efficient digestion, food breakdown, produces lactic acid and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. Some common strains of Lactobacillus include Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Lactobacillus bacteria are commonly used in probiotic supplements.
In addition, there is another type of probiotic that is used just as commonly as the above type, which is Bifidobacterium. This is a probiotic that is often found in the large intestine. Bifidobacterium helps stimulate the immune system, prevent diarrhea and support the absorption of nutrients. Some common strains of Bifidobacterium include Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium breve.
Along with that, the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii is also often used to reduce diarrhea in children. This is a fungal probiotic that reduces the risk of diarrhea caused by rotavirus, a common virus that causes diarrhea in children. Not only that, Saccharomyces boulardii can also help improve the symptoms of bacterial and antibiotic-induced diarrhea.
Being weak and immature, the digestive system of infants and young children is extremely vulnerable to factors such as diet, living environment and medication use. Supplementing probiotics for children can bring many benefits to the digestive system, including preventing diarrhea, strengthening the immune system, reducing allergy symptoms in children, thereby also having positive benefits for mental health.
Parents should supplement probiotics for their children
Probiotics play an important role in supporting food digestion, and allowing children to absorb nutrients better. Due to the fact that the beneficial bacteria in probiotics have the ability to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes, including: lactase, protease, lipase… hydrolyze food into smaller molecules that the body can easily absorb, especially difficult-to-digest foods such as lactose (milk sugar) and protein, helping the body digest food more effectively.
Probiotics help children increase nutrient absorption
In addition, probiotics also strengthen intestinal microvilli to support the effective absorption process of nutrients. Parents may know that intestinal microvilli are small, finger-like structures that protrude from the small intestinal mucosa, their surface is covered with absorptive cells that are responsible for transporting nutrients from the intestinal lumen into the blood. Probiotics help strengthen microvilli by stimulating the production of new cells in the intestinal mucosa, improving the intestinal microenvironment, reducing intestinal inflammation, creating favorable conditions for the development and activity of microvilli cells, thereby enhancing nutrient absorption, improving the health of the child’s digestive system.
The study “Efficacy of probiotics on the development and growth of children” by Hao S, et al. in the journal Nutrients in 2018 showed that probiotic supplementation for children significantly improved height and weight at the age of 0-59 months.
In a healthy body, the intestinal microflora has more than 500 different species, including beneficial microorganisms (85% probiotics) and pathogenic bacteria (15%). Despite the presence of pathogenic bacteria, the body still achieves a healthy state thanks to the immune regulation mechanism in the intestine. Immune cells in the intestine account for 80% of the immune cells in the human body and the intestinal microflora plays an important role in activating those immune cells. Probiotics enable the immune system boost by:
Firstly, to stimulate the production of immune cells, as among the microorganisms in the intestinal microflora, Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are two types of bacteria that create a protective barrier for the intestine, promoting humoral immune responses through IgA (IgAs). Some strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria also have the effect of establishing a balance of immune responses of helper T lymphocytes, allowing the body to fight pathogens more effectively.
Strengthening children’s immune system through probiotic supplementation
At the same time, probiotics also help balance the intestinal microflora, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and protect the body from pathogens through the mechanism of bacterial antagonism. Beneficial bacteria produce acids that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. In addition, they also thrive to compete for “land” and “food” with harmful bacteria, making them unable to survive and develop in the digestive tract.
An article in the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has researched “Effectiveness of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in the treatment of diarrhea caused by rotavirus in children”. This study showed that LGG use significantly reduced the duration of diarrhea in children.
Probiotic “warriors” are also able to reduce the risk of food allergies in children by reducing intestinal permeability, thereby preventing foreign proteins from entering the bloodstream and causing allergic reactions. Or in cases of cow’s milk protein allergy, casein (in the solid part of milk) and whey (in the liquid part of milk), a fairly common allergy in children, these beneficial bacteria break down the structure of lactose – an important substance in milk and dairy products, helping lactose intolerant cases to overcome this obstacle to continue absorbing lactose.
Cow’s milk protein allergy is a common allergy in children
Currently, there is a study on “Efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in preventing cow’s milk allergy in high-risk children”. The study clearly shows that probiotic supplementation for children at high risk of food allergy helps reduce allergy symptoms such as bloating, constipation, and dermatitis in children.
The digestive system and the brain may seem like two completely separate organs, but in fact they are closely related to each other, likened to a dual “brain-gut” axis. This connection is formed by the enteric nervous system, a complex network of nerves located in the intestinal wall, containing about 100 million neurons, which plays an important role in regulating digestive activities, including intestinal contractions, digestive secretions and nutrient absorption. In turn, the digestive system can affect mood through the production of hormones and the transmission of signals to the brain. In particular, probiotics can contribute to children’s brain development by producing important neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which play a role in regulating mood and cognitive function, allowing reduction of stress, a factor that can affect children’s brain development.
Digestive system – the body’s “second brain”
Probiotics are an important part of maintaining digestive health and provide many benefits to your child’s overall health as discussed above. However, choosing and using probiotics correctly is essential to achieve optimal results. Below are some important notes:
This is the most important factor when choosing probiotics for children. Parents should prioritize products with clear origins, produced by reputable companies, with quality certification and clinically tested. Choosing good quality products ensures safety for children and brings high efficiency.
The intestinal microflora of infants and young children is different from that of adults, so it is necessary to choose probiotics that are suitable for the age and health status of the child.
For infants and young children, it is recommended to use probiotics containing beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These bacteria play an important role in supporting digestion, strengthening the immune system and protecting children from pathogens. For older children, in addition to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, they can use probiotics containing Saccharomyces boulardii. Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic that is widely used in the treatment of diarrhea, prevention of digestive disorders and improvement of children’s intestinal health.
Probiotics help improve children’s digestive system
It can be seen that the use of probiotics in nutritional products or weaning foods for children is becoming more and more popular due to the great benefits it brings to the immature digestive system of children. Among them, the nutritional product Metacare Opti 2+ is prominent, researched and developed by scientists from Nutricare and the Nutricare Medical Nutrition Institute – USA (NMNI-USA). Metacer Opti 2+ is a reputable product containing probiotics trusted by many mothers. The product possesses the breakthrough Postbiotic technology, supplementing 30 billion Postbiotic probiotics (Postbiotic LBiome and Postbiotic L. Lactis probiotics) that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, enhancing the natural immune system. In particular, the Postbiotic Lbiome probiotic is recommended by the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) for use with 5 outstanding benefits proven through 50 clinical studies, including: preventing the invasion of pathogens thanks to the ability to compete for adhesion sites on the intestinal surface; helping to neutralize and inhibit unwanted harmful bacteria; having the ability to attach to the gastrointestinal mucosa to prevent the invasion of other pathogens; restoring the natural balance of the intestinal microflora and promoting the proliferation of probiotic strains. Unlike Probiotics, Postbiotics are not required to be alive to be effective. Therefore, they have good stability and high heat resistance, making them suitable for use in formula nutritional products in both powdered and ready-to-drink milk for young children.
In addition, Metacare Opti 2+ also adds HMO combined with fiber to help the digestive system healthy, prevent constipation, support intestinal microflora balance and 24-hour colostrum from the US in the product to help increase resistance in children. In addition, for children to develop comprehensively, the product provides up to 60 essential nutrients with easily absorbed Whey Protein, Lysine, Zinc to help increase energy metabolism for children to gain healthy weight, along with the trio of Calcium, Vitamin K2 and D3 to help strengthen bones and children develop outstanding height.
Therefore, by combining the use of Metacare Opti 2+ nutritional product, parents are able to improve intestinal health for their children, reduce indigestion and digestive disorders, and also support the development of resistance and height in children.
In particular, parents should note that the use of probiotics must be done according to the instructions to achieve optimal effectiveness. Parents should consult a doctor or nutritionist to choose the right product and use the right dosage and time. Combine with a reasonable diet and lifestyle, exercise to maximize the effectiveness of probiotics.
Healthy exercise is a method to enable comprehensive development for children.
Conclusion: Probiotics play an important role in the digestive system, supplementing probiotics for children is an effective way to support the digestive system and bring many benefits to the overall health of children. Understanding the importance of the digestive system in general and probiotics in particular is necessary knowledge for parents to take care of their children properly, contributing to nurturing future buds to develop healthily and comprehensively.
References:
1.https://visinh.edu.vn/probiotics-lieu-phap-cho-suc-khoe-tu-tu-nhien 2.Catania J, Pandit NG, Ehrlich JM, Zaman M, Stone E, Franceschi C, Smith A, Tanner-Smith E, Zackular JP, Bhutta ZA, Imdad A. Probiotic Supplementation for Promotion of Growth in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2021 Dec 25;14(1):83. doi: 10.3390/nu14010083. PMID: 35010959; PMCID: PMC8746675. 3.https://bvnguyentriphuong.com.vn/noi-tieu-hoa/vi-sinh-vat-duong-ruot-va-suc-khoe-1 4.https://tuoitre.vn/vai-tro-cua-he-vi-sinh-vat-duong-ruot-voi-suc-khoe-2019042314013498.htm 5.Li YT, Xu H, Ye JZ, Wu WR, Shi D, Fang DQ, Liu Y, Li LJ. Efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in treatment of acute pediatric diarrhea: A systematic review with meta-analysis. World J Gastroenterol. 2019 Sep 7;25(33):4999-5016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i33.4999. PMID: 31543689; PMCID: PMC6737314. 6.Basturk A, Isik İ, Atalay A, Yılmaz A. Investigation of the Efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in Infants With Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy: a Randomised Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2020 Mar;12(1):138-143. doi: 10.1007/s12602-019-9516-1. PMID: 30656549. 7.https://www.vinmec.com/vi/tin-tuc/thong-tin-suc-khoe/nhi/men-vi-sinh-khac-gi-men-tieu-hoa/ |