Probiotics KIDS Powder: Caring for your kid’s gut health

DO you know the importance of your child's gut health? A child's gut plays roles beyond the basic functions of digesting food and absorbing nutrients. It is particularly important in maintaining healthy bowel function and the child's immune system as 70% to 80% of immune cells are located in the gut.

The gut is also home to more than 100 trillion microorganisms known as gut microbiota. A balanced gut microbiota is key to maintaining a healthy gut and body.

"There are several factors that affect the balance of gut microbiota, such as Caesarean delivery, formula feeding, poor diet and the use of antibiotics," says consultant paediatrician Dr Chin Wai Seong.

"An imbalance of gut microbiota will result in poor gut health, which can lead to various digestive issues such as upset stomach, diarrhoea, constipation patients, food intolerance (allergies), poor appetite and increased health risks in children."

Apart from encouraging mothers to breastfeed and improve their children's diet, Dr Chin shares the benefits of using probiotics in clinical settings to help improve the child's gut health, especially in improving the condition of diarrhoea and constipation patients, reducing the risk of food allergies and facilitating early recovery.

"However, choosing the right probiotics is crucial. Parents should always look for clinically tested probiotic strains that are supported by clinical studies involving children for proven health benefits and safety. Parents may look at the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) as an important criterion when choosing probiotics, but the number of CFUs may not represent the strength of the probiotic strain and benefits provided to the host.

"A product that contains prebiotics can better promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut as prebiotics act as a source of food for good bacteria. Probiotics with added prebiotics are effective against antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and can shorten the duration of recovery from gastroenteritis in children."

It may be a hassle for parents to bring probiotics on long trips as some require refrigeration and exposure to environmental changes can cause the quality of these

products to deteriorate. Dr Chin says, "It is best that parents choose probiotic products that have undergone freeze-drying, which allows the probiotic strains to stay dormant until consumption. It extends the viability of probiotics in the product even at room temperature."

This article is brought to you by Legosan (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

■ For more information, call 03-7956 2220 (9am to 5pm), email info@biogrow.com.my or like the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BiogrowKIDS

Dr Chin Wai Seong.

"An imbalance of gut microbiota will result in poor gut health, which can lead to various digestive issues such as upset stomach, diarrhoea, constipation, food intolerance (allergies), poor appetite and increased health risks in children."