You probably don't think of bacteria as something you'd want to feed your infant, but increasingly, research is validating the benefits of consuming certain types of beneficial microbes called probiotics. Both young and old people alike can benefit from probiotics, but a number of studies devoted specifically to infants and probiotics have found positive results when it comes to fighting infection.
Probiotic Theory
Beneficial microbes have been on the radar of nutritional researchers since the early 1900s when Nobel laureate Elie Metchnikoff commented on the longevity of Bulgarian peasants, many of whom lived more than a century. Bulgarian yogurt, containing live bacteria, was the common denominator that linked these frisky seniors. Since that time the science of probiotics has continued to grow. Today it is known that your body naturally contains approximately 400 types of live microbes, according to Bethlehem University. These microbes, called your "normal flora," live in your gastrointestinal tract and guard it from infection by microorganisms that can cause disease.
Infants and Normal Flora
The bacterial colonization of an infant's digestive tract begins during birth but is influence by the method of birth. According to "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," there are major differences in the types of bacteria that colonize an infant's digestive tract, depending on whether they are born vaginally or by cesarean section. Feeding methods also influence normal flora in infants. Breastfed infants typically have a larger proliferation of a type of probiotic called bifidobacteria, whereas formula-fed infants are more likely to have a wide range of different intestinal flora.
Effects of Probiotic Formula
Several studies have focused on the infection-fighting effects of infant formula containing probiotics. A study published in the journal "Pediatrics" compared the effects of two types of probiotics, Lactobacillus reuteri and Bifidobacterium lactis, to a placebo formula fed to infants between the ages of 4 and 10 months. It found that these probiotics, especially Lactobacillus reuteri, decreased the number and duration of episodes of infectious diarrhea but had no effect on respiratory illnesses. Conversely, the "British Journal of Nutrition" reported that infants below the age of 12 months who were given Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis had lower rates of respiratory illness and ear infections. Probiotics also might be useful as an adjunct to antibiotic therapies that can destroy the normal flora in addition to the pathogens they target.
Considerations
More research is needed to confirm the safety and effectiveness of probiotics for fighting infections in infants. Consult your pediatrician for more information about probiotic infant formula.
References
- "Archives of Disease in Children"; Probiotics for Preterm Infants?; M. Milllar, et al.; October 2002
- World Health Organization; Feeding and Nutrition of Infants and Young Children; 2003
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Specific Probiotics In Reducing The Risk Of Acute Infections In Infancy -- A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study; Samuli Rautava, et al.; 2009
- "Pediatrics"; Effect of a Probiotic Infant Formula on Infections in Child Care Centers: Comparison of Two Probiotic Agents; Zvi Weizman, et al.; January 2005
- "Communicating Current Research and Educational Topics and Trends in Applied Microbiology"; Probiotics: 100 years (1907-2007) After Elie Metchnikoff's Observation; Kingsley C. Anukam; 2007
- University of Bethlehem: Friendly Bacteria for Your Digestive System (Probiotics);
