Probiotics & Nutraceuticals

Pediatrics Nutrition and its benefits

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There is no question that breast milk is the best form of food for newborns and infants, and should be the number one choice for all mothers. However, some mothers are unable to breastfeed, which is why it’s important they have access to safe and nutritious alternatives. When it comes to infant formula, the aim and intent of the World Health Organisation (WHO) International Code of Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes is fully supported. Breast milk substitutes are recognised by the WHO as a safe and nutritious alternative to breast milk for infants whose mothers cannot, or choose not to, breastfeed. Probiotics are supplements or foods that contain viable microorganisms that cause alterations of the microflora of the host. Use of probiotics has been shown to be modestly effective in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in (1) Treatment of acute viral gastroenteritis in healthy children (2) Prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in healthy children. There is some evidence that probiotics prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants (birth weight between 1000 and 1500 g). The results of RCTs in which probiotics were used to treat childhood Helicobacter pylori gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic ulcerative colitis, and infantile colic, as well as in preventing childhood atopy, are also encouraging the use of probiotics for infants.