How Safe and Useful are Probiotics for Kids and Infants?

Microorganisms have roamed the earth from the very start of time and have been here for centuries together. Man has conducted so many researches and experiments and has tried hard to harness the full potential of these microorganisms but he hasn’t been able to try his hands any further because of limiting factors and so a vast majority of the microbes remain a mystery. Let us understand about probiotics and about how safe probiotics are for kids and infants?

Probiotics are the microorganisms that can be consumed by human beings and animals and they are believed to improve our health. They were first seen to be working in the lives of a few peasants from Bulgaria who included yogurts in their menu. They happened to have a longer lifetime. This concept was well received and today we have a range of products that are commercial probiotics. They have their wide range of applications.

The probiotics that we see today, the commercial ones, are of different types based on how they are produced. They may include live cells or dead cells or cells that are inactivated by heat and so on. There are probiotics that use parts of cells that include the DNA as well. They are in powdered form or encapsulated by coats that improve their life span. They can also be classified on the amount of time they take to have an impact on one’s body.

Some are slow and take many weeks to even start their activity but they stay for longer periods of time. The others are quick to be activated but then they stay for a very short time in the body as they are made to leave although their impact is good.

How safe and useful are probiotics for kids and infants is an important question, which must be analyzed in detail. Here we first try to understand the health benefits of probiotics, even in case of kids and infants. This can address the doubt about how useful probiotics are for kids and infants.

Probiotics can improve your immunity and strength, thus keep several illnesses at bay.
They are a good source of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Probiotics, with their health benefits can prove to be an important health supplement for kids and infants.

It is the idea of every mother to ensure that their kids and infants get all that they need. And nowadays, we can see that many probiotics are being added along with these supplements for better health. The commercial products have varying amounts of healthy bacteria and may be taken as advised by the physician for kids and infants. But many people believe in simply feeding yogurt to kids and infants regularly to ensure good health. It is therefore, important to know how safe and useful probiotics are for kids and infants.

Here are some ways in which probiotics are useful for kids and infants.

Research shows that our health betterment is directly proportional to amount of good probiotics we have. The more the probiotics that are good for us that we have, the better is our overall health.
As kids and infants don’t have fully developed or well developed immune systems, so these probiotics enhance the immune system.
When an infant’s digestive system is developing, it is the healthy bacteria in their gut that actually protects them.

Probiotics are safe and useful for kids and infants, as they provide protection against illnesses like

It can keep your gut healthy and ensure smooth functioning. A study in Mexico showed that the preschool kids who were given probiotics for 3 months on a daily basis had reduced infections in their respiratory systems and reduced diarrhea than those who didn’t take them. So this is a very good piece of information and an assurance for parents who wonder about how safe and useful probiotics are for kids and infants.

Probiotics are available as readymade products in the market and they can be bought online as well. But before that it is advisable to have a doctor’s consent on which type to take and if they’ll have any side effects and so on. If you prefer natural sources of probiotics to supplements, then you can consume yogurts, fermented foods and the likes.

While some kids may be sensitive to yogurt, milk products or certain probiotics, most kids can tolerate them well. For sensitive kids, it is best to follow medical advice and begin in small amounts, gradually increasing the intake as they get used to it. Probiotics are indeed safe and useful for kids and infants and when consumed regularly can surely show an improvement in their health.

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How Safe and Useful are Probiotics for Kids and Infants?