But what about your child?
Is it safe for them to take?  Many child products from yoghurts to yoghurt drinks now contain ‘healthy’ bacteria. If so, when would you give them a probiotic? And you may want to know, are there any probiotics available especially for children?

What are probiotics?
The word probiotic comes from the Greek ’for life’, and it refers to ‘friendly bacteria‘ that live naturally in the gut.

What do they do?
Probiotics promote good digestion, facilitate the absorption of nutrients, boost the immune system and help prevent an overgrowth of more harmful organisms in the digestive tract.

You may want to know why, if these are naturally present in the digestive system, do I need to give them to my child?

The digestive system is host to hundreds of different species of bacteria, some of which are ‘good’ and some of which are ‘bad’. A healthy system will have a balance of the two. However, there are a number of factors that can affect the levels of ‘good’ bacteria, and when this happens non-beneficial bacteria and yeast can flourish. There are also many conditions and ailments that may benefit from regularly taking a probiotic - such as lactose intolerance, acne, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohn’s disease.

What factors affect the balance?
There are a number of factors including:
Antibiotics - (while killing off the ’bad’ bacteria causing symptoms of ill-health, they also kill off the ‘good’ bacteria in the gut).
Immunisations
Travelling
A change of diet
Stress

When would I give my child a probiotic?
Probiotics can be taken as a daily supplement as they help build a healthy digestive system by replenishing levels of ‘good’ or ‘friendly’ bacteria in the gut. If your child has had a course of antibiotics, give them a regular dose of probiotics over the following two weeks to replace the beneficial bacteria lost.

Diarrhoea flushes out the intestinal bacteria, including the ‘good’ ones, this can leave the body vulnerable to infections - so boost your child’s immune system by replenishing the ‘good’ bacteria that have been lost.

Allergies, thrush, colds and flu are all signs that the immune system is functioning below par. Topping up the levels of ‘good’ bacteria in the gut will help boost the body's immune function.

Where will I find probiotics?
Cultured or fermented foods such as cheese, buttermilk, and live yoghurt, contain various types and amounts of these so-called ‘friendly’ bacteria. However, it is difficult to know how many live bacteria are in these foods and how much will reach the digestive tract. By using a supplement, you have a more accurate measure of what and how much you are giving. These are available in powder, liquid, capsule, and tablet form.

Are they safe and are there any side effects?
There have been no reported side effects - even when taken in large doses.

Do you have to take them all the time?
Probiotics can be taken as a daily supplement, or may be used to help replenish levels of good bacteria when they have been affected by factors such as a course of antibiotics, travelling, or a change in diet.

Do you take different probiotics for different problems/symptoms/illnesses?
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacteriuam logum are the three main ‘friendly’ bacteria. As most good probiotics contain a combination of these bacteria and may also contain a prebiotic, it is not necessary to take different probiotics. Any additional types of friendly bacteria contained in a supplement can be regarded as a bonus.

What is a Prebiotic?
I mention these because you may find that some supplements contain a combination of prebiotics and probiotics, which help create a probiotic friendly environment. The best known prebiotics are Fructo-oligosaccharides - which you may find in the abbreviated form (FOS). These naturally occurring carbohydrates are found in certain foods, such as bananas, wheat, honey, onions, and tomatoes. Fructo-oligosaccharides cannot be digested or absorbed by humans, but support the growth of good bacteria.

Put simply, prebiotics feed up the ‘good’ bacteria in the gut.

How do you take them?
Supplements that are in powder form are easy to get past even the most resistant of kids. These can be sprinkled on food or mixed into juice, water, or even smoothies. Capsules and tablets, some are chewable, are usually recommended to be taken with food. Liquid supplements are usually in the form of a dairy drink.

Are there any probiotics produced especially for children?
BioCare’s Banana Acidophilus is ideal for children. It is free from dairy, artificial sweeteners, and colourings. It contains Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. The recommended dose is 1/2 tsp in water, juice, or milk or sprinkled onto food daily. 60g of powder costs £12.50

BioCare also do Bifidobacterium infantis, which contains the main intestinal bacteria in breastfed babies. It is dairy free. The recommended dose is one gram in water twice daily. 60g of powder costs £23.95

Nutrition Now’s Rhino FOS and Acidophilus. These are chewable tablets. Children over the age of two may be given up to two tablets a day and are these are best taken with food. They cost £6.95 for 60 chewable tablets.

Nutrition Now’s Rhino Lacto Safe - two chewable tablets can be given to children over four years old before they drink milk or eat dairy products. These contain natural lactase, which is the enzyme needed to digest milk and which is lacking in people who are lactose intolerant people. £7.95 for 45 chewable tablets

Solgar’s ABC Acidophilus Powder Children and infant formula. £14.85 for 49.6g

Nature’s Plus Acidophikidz berry burst chewable tablets. £8.18 for 60 tablets

Where can I get them?
BioCare Banana Acidophilus
BioCare Bifidobacterium infantis 
Nutrition Now Rhino FOS and Acidophilus
Nutrition Now Rhino Lacto Safe
From Victoria Health 

Nature’s Plus Acidophikidz
www.all-ages-vitamins.co.uk

Solgar’s ABC Acidophilus Children and Infant Formula

If you have any further questions why not email us at editor@whatreallyworks.co.uk