Breastfeeding is one sign of love that mother deliver to her baby. Just not long after the infant born, mother should give exlusive breastfeding to her child. Exlusive breastfeeding means that infant receives only milk from mother during first six month of the life not even water. Mother’s milk is considered as the best sources of nutrients that required for the infant growth and development. Even mother must put effort and time to breast fed the baby but believe that when mother breastfed the baby, she gives the building block of her baby immune system and health for the future.
Most people know that breastfed milk contain the colostrum or the liquid gold fluid which highly nutritious for infant but less people aware of the existence of another important substance during breastfeeding. That substances called as Probiotic.
What are Probiotic? And what is differences between Probiotic and Prebiotic?
Sometimes people getting confused to differ the terms prebiotic and probiotic. Probiotic derives its name from Latin words “Pro” means “for” and and Greek words Bios means “life”
This term was first used in 1954 and use to indicate the substance that required to gain healthy life. FAO/WHO explain that probiotics is Live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. While the word Prebiotic means as explained in the meeting of the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) on 2010 is “A dietary prebiotic is a selectively fermented ingredient that results in specific changes, in the composition and/or activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefit(s) upon host health.”
So dont be shock when u heard that your body is home of 100 trillion microscopic organisms and more than 400 different species of bacteria especially in the gut. The good bacterias who live inside your body called as normal flora.These bacteria make up more than 75% of human immune system by prevent the multiplying of pathogens.
The right amount consumption of prebiotic will give significance health improvement for human and keeping the normal good-microorganism in body. Japanese were the first to recognize the value of fermentable oligosaccharides and initiate the effect of prebiotic for the health.
How infant derives Probiotic ?
Immediately after birth, bacterial colonisation of the infant’s gut begins with bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. These organisms are transferred from the maternal microbial flora
in the genital tract and colon during delivery, it means infant got some amount of probiotic while still in womb, having contact with mother intestines and colonalso from the vagina where somegood-bacteria also live there. Research show that babies with vaginal route delivery are healthier than them who passed the delivery by caesar surgery. This condition refer to mother that they should not wash their vagina with any chemical products that can removed the good-bacteria from there.
Later scientist found that breast milk naturally contains prebiotics (oligosaccharides) at a level of 10-12 g/l. These oligosaccharides favour the growth of probiotic such as bifidobacteria in the colon. Exclusively breastfed infants have higher numbers of bifidobacteria and lower numbers of the Escherichia coli bacteria, while formula-fed infants harbour equal amounts of these different types of intestinal flora. The indigestible oligosaccharides in breast milk also serve as a passive protective function for the gut barrier and they also actively stimulate proliferation of the colonizing bacteria necessary to activate the infant´s intestinal defence mechanisms and maturation. This is why breastfed infants are often healthier than formula-fed infants and can stand against infection better.
Proven health benefit of probiotic for the infant and mother
- Improving Infant Immune System
Scientist over the world has been worked on their experiment and research to find the corelation between breastfeeding and probiotic. There was a research that reported a significant interaction prebiotic and breastfeeding. The total numbers of Immunoglobulin or the the antibody inside the body at12 months of age were higher in those infants who had beenbreastfed exclusively for at least 3 months and supplementedwith probiotics. Scientist suggest that the incorporation of probioticsin the mother’s diet before delivery and in the infant dietduring breastfeeding may positively influence the maturationprocess of gut immunity. So when mother leave her baby without breastfeeding, she takes the responsibility of her children healths problem in future.
Probiotic benefit in case of improving immune system will not only serve the infant but also the mother. While breastfeeding mother lose her nutrition for baby so having some extra probiotic from food will help mother to keep her immune system and health.
- Preventing Infectious diarrhoea
Probiotics hence important to prevent acute gastrointestinal tract infections in healthy infants and children. Some reports of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) by theAmerican Academy of Paediatrics show that Rotavirus was the most common cause of acute diarrhoea
During experiment of RCTs, some strain of probiotic were used included Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), Streptococcus thermophilus, L. casei, Bifidobacterium lactis, or L. Reuteri mixed with milk or infant formula or given as an oral supplement. The result shows that probiotics can fight against the Rotavirus and reduce the number of diarrheal stools and the duration (approximately by one day) of the diarrhoea.
- Preventing Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD)
Researchers showed that probiotic can be used in effort to prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in infant. As we know that antibiotic mostly has side effect to the body because the usage of antibiotic not only slightly reduce the number of pathogen bacteria in digestional tract but also the good-bacteria itself.
- Improving Gastrointestinal tolerance
Based on a research, scientist speculated that probiotics may change patterns of fermentation in the colon, leading to less gas or water fermentation, which may improve gastrointestinal tolerance. This condition may lead the optimum development of infant gastrointestinal tract and reduce the probability of developing Lactose intolerance in future. Lactose intolerance is a condition where the body can not digest the milk sugar (Lactase) and result the symptom of cramping and bloating. This will be a serious case for children who receives most nutrition from milk. The effects of probiotics on Lactose Intolerance has been studied by Rabin Medical Center in Usa that reported compsumption of milk containing probiotic such as Bifidobacterium Longum resulted in significantly less hydrogen production and flatulance.
- Reduce the chance of building Gestational Diabetes Melitus (GDM) and control the weight
Probiotics play a big role in developing infants health since pregnancy. A study by Fionnuala McAuliffe from Obstetric & Gynaecology at University College Dublin has been indicated that probiotics have potential role to improve the metabolism of mother during pregnancy and reduce the risk of future metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseased especially GDM or Gestational Diabetes Melitus. GDM is a condition where mother has higher blood sugar rates during pregnancy and it tend to be a serious condition if it gives negative impacts for mother health and growing the higher risk of abnormality of the baby. Further study found that probiotics maintain normal body weight in the first year of infant life. Infants lack of probiotic hance have more probability to gain excessive body weight in future.
- Reduce Infantile Colic
Infantile colic similarly to baby colic is defined as an episode of the baby crying for more than three hours a day and more than three days in a week. It is a common pediatric situation that can lead to parental distress.
Many causes are expected to be reason of infantile colic. Underlying organic disease such as lactose intolerance, milk allewrgy, gastroesophagal, reflux disease or infantile migrain that make the baby feel uncomfort and cry excesively . There is a study that publish in Journal of Clinical Neonatalogy showing a significance probiotic role in reducing baby crying times with no adverse events.
Breastfeeding is first way that mother can encourage the newborn’s gut health. Even the breastmilk has provide amount of probiotic for the infant, giving more probiotic to infant can be a good choice. Mother can consume some probiotic food in the diet in an effort to boost the development of immune system. Most favorites probiotic foods are yogurt, kefir, cereals, dark chocolate, even korean Kimchi, Germany Sauerkreut and Indonesian Tempeh can be good choices to enjoy. Choose your favorite probiotics and help your baby to build immune system and health.