By : Yam Cher Seng
OF late, there’s been a lot of buzz about probiotics in the media. According to an expert panel commissioned by FAO and WHO, probiotics are micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits on the host. In other words, you can call it friendly bacteria which exert health benefits on the host.
Friendly bacteria adhere to the lining of the intestinal tract and have been shown to colonise and grow in the gastrointestinal tract. Friendly bacteria secrete anti-infective proteins that are harmful to the pathogens. This ultimately improves gut problems such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea and constipation, which are caused by imbalance of gut microflora.
Healthcare professionals also have been advising patients who have undergone antibiotic treatment to supplement their diet with probiotics. This is because antibiotics kill off all bacteria, including the good ones. This allows the harmful bacteria to overgrow, resulting in gastrointestinal problems. A healthy dose of probiotics can keep the “bad bug” at bay and improve beneficial intestinal microflora.
Many clinical studies have demonstrated the health benefits of friendly bacteria. Specific strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 are well-documented for reducing the incidence of diarrhoea, hard bowel movement (constipation) as well as alleviate lactose intolerance and food allergies. A dose of 1-1.5 billion cfu of these probiotics daily would be beneficial.
Many of you may have heard about probiotics, but how many of you know about prebiotics? In layman’s term, prebiotics is the food for probiotics.
Of all prebiotics, chicory inulin is the most extensively studied. It is a natural prebiotic extracted from chicory root and carries many beneficial effects for the human body. An abundance of scientific evidence from human studies has demonstrated positive results which underlie the health benefits of these probiotic strains and inulin.
On the other hand, studies showed that inulin is beneficial for improving gut health and enhancing absorption of calcium, which is important for stronger bones. Not only is it safe and well-tolerated among children, it is a good supplement after an antibiotic treatment. Administration of antibiotics disturbs the intestinal microflora and supplementing your child with inulin after an antibiotic treatment helps re-establish the homeostasis of the gut microbiota by increasing the levels of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
A combination of pre and probiotics, also known as synbiotic, showed that children with oral supplementation of synbiotics experienced significantly fewer sick days compared to those without synbiotic supplementation. Moreover, orally administered synbiotics may enhance vitamins and minerals absorption particularly calcium, boosting bone health by increasing the expression of calcium-binding proteins and solubility of minerals.
These benefits induced by synbiotics contribute to improvement in nutritional status with subsequent enhancement of the immune system, which in turn will improve a child’s performance in the classroom.
The writer is a pharmacist who is actively involved in the dissemination of information on natural healthcare and holistic therapies. For more information, she can be contacted at csyam@streamyx.com.
Friendly bacteria adhere to the lining of the intestinal tract and have been shown to colonise and grow in the gastrointestinal tract. Friendly bacteria secrete anti-infective proteins that are harmful to the pathogens. This ultimately improves gut problems such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea and constipation, which are caused by imbalance of gut microflora.
Healthcare professionals also have been advising patients who have undergone antibiotic treatment to supplement their diet with probiotics. This is because antibiotics kill off all bacteria, including the good ones. This allows the harmful bacteria to overgrow, resulting in gastrointestinal problems. A healthy dose of probiotics can keep the “bad bug” at bay and improve beneficial intestinal microflora.
Many clinical studies have demonstrated the health benefits of friendly bacteria. Specific strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 are well-documented for reducing the incidence of diarrhoea, hard bowel movement (constipation) as well as alleviate lactose intolerance and food allergies. A dose of 1-1.5 billion cfu of these probiotics daily would be beneficial.
Many of you may have heard about probiotics, but how many of you know about prebiotics? In layman’s term, prebiotics is the food for probiotics.
Of all prebiotics, chicory inulin is the most extensively studied. It is a natural prebiotic extracted from chicory root and carries many beneficial effects for the human body. An abundance of scientific evidence from human studies has demonstrated positive results which underlie the health benefits of these probiotic strains and inulin.
On the other hand, studies showed that inulin is beneficial for improving gut health and enhancing absorption of calcium, which is important for stronger bones. Not only is it safe and well-tolerated among children, it is a good supplement after an antibiotic treatment. Administration of antibiotics disturbs the intestinal microflora and supplementing your child with inulin after an antibiotic treatment helps re-establish the homeostasis of the gut microbiota by increasing the levels of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
A combination of pre and probiotics, also known as synbiotic, showed that children with oral supplementation of synbiotics experienced significantly fewer sick days compared to those without synbiotic supplementation. Moreover, orally administered synbiotics may enhance vitamins and minerals absorption particularly calcium, boosting bone health by increasing the expression of calcium-binding proteins and solubility of minerals.
These benefits induced by synbiotics contribute to improvement in nutritional status with subsequent enhancement of the immune system, which in turn will improve a child’s performance in the classroom.
The writer is a pharmacist who is actively involved in the dissemination of information on natural healthcare and holistic therapies. For more information, she can be contacted at csyam@streamyx.com.
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