• In this article you will learn about: childrens probiotics, the best probiotics our market has to offer and major health benefits of probiotics

The topic of probiotics is the latest information in the news. Probiotics are friendly bacteria found in foods and dietary supplements that can help bring back the balance of good bacteria. The question arises can children take probiotics. According to Dr. Holly Lucille, Naturopathic Physician, the answer is “Absolutely, In fact the use of probiotics can be very beneficial for your children. A healthy digestive system is very important for a strong immune system in kids as well as in adults.” So what are the best sources of probiotics for children?

As parents, we scrutinize all health information for our kids. First, let’s get a medical side of probiotics for children and adults: According to the World Health Organization, they’re “live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” This healthy bacteria is found in fermented food products such as yogurt, sour cream, sauerkraut, and buttermilk. Probiotics are also available as supplements; these formulations can be identical to the organisms that colonize the gut. The health benefits of probiotics are a natural fit to a daily regiment.

Many medical experts believe probiotics may increase the amount of beneficial bacteria in people’s intestinal tracts as well as aid digestion, boost the body’s natural defenses, and fight off harmful bacteria that can cause health problems. Experts are conducting studies to determine if probiotics can be used to prevent and treat all sorts of conditions, many of them common in kids, including asthma, colds, colic, lactose intolerance, and dental cavities. Dr. Michael Cabana, chief of general pediatrics at UCSF Children’s Hospital, says there’s an abundance of studies exploring probiotics’ potential, but relative few studies in U.S. children. In the 1990s, Dr. Cabana says, there were one or two published probiotic studies a year, while in 2005, over 350 studies were published. Always confirm with your primary medical professional if you are adding children’s probiotics to their daily regiment.

So what foods should your kids be eating to get the best probiotics? Fermented foods contain healthful bacteria: Kombucha Tea, sour cream, buttermilk, sauerkraut, pickles, and many yogurts. But generally pasteurization has eliminated the flora found in modern food. As a result, companies are fortifying foods with probiotics in an effort to re-introduce this bacteria. These companies claim their products offer a range of health benefits, but only some of the claims are based on reputable science. Also, parents should consider the full list of ingredients in these inoculated foods–for example, are they loaded with fructose syrup? The additives may counterbalance the health benefits of probiotics.

Why not give them supplements?

The best rule of thumb is to use ‘live’ bacteria. Supplements simply don’t contain enough of the good bacteria to be of the best use. According to studies reported on the consumerlab website: many of the probiotic supplements failed to pass the testing process for the benefit levels. When considering childrens probiotics, it’s best to go natural.

What about infants?

There are high quality powders that can be added to an infant’s formula. Always confer with your medical provider before adding anything to your baby’s diet.
The resulting information summary is: Give your children the fermented foods that contain the helpful bacteria. This can include:

1. acidophilus milk
2. sour cream
3. buttermilk
4. sauerkraut
5. pickles
6. Kombucha Tea
7. some yogurts
8. yogurt drinks
9. whey
10. Certain drinks that are specifically probiotic drinks.

Always confer with your pediatrician before adding anything to your child’s diet.

• Probiotic therapy controversy: medical vs. alternative
• Class action lawsuit against Dannon, a probiotc product
• Childrens probiotics.
• Additional NCCAM sponsored research

The controversy involving probiotics is the same as with any other natural or alternative therapy: the medical community will not acknowledge or put any priority on any research if there isn’t a monetary gain achieved by someone. Whenever the balance is upset, we experience a plethora of problems: everything from lactose intolerance to infections. Probiotic therapy is the use of the ‘good’ bacteria from natural and supplement sources to balance the body’s internal system. Our bodies have both good and bad bacteria. Scientific understanding of probiotics and their potential for preventing and treating health conditions is at an early stage, but moving ahead. In November 2005, a conference that was co funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and convened by the American Society for Microbiology explored this topic. Manufacturing companies have more recently used probiotics as a new marketing tool to sell their products. When embracing any alternative therapy, we need to ask ourselves if there are any potential risks and are there any probiotic side effects.

This topic is even more important given a recent class action lawsuit against Danone’s (or Dannon’s) Activia yogurt sparked discussion about health benefits of probiotics. Most yogurt probiotic products contain active cultures anyway, so some people wonder if it’s really worth paying a premium for extra probiotic strains.

Here are the top 10 probiotic side effects:

1. Gas or bloating

Probiotics have been proclaimed to be a therapy to assist in eliminating gas or bloating. In some people, probiotics can have the opposite effect and actually cause gas or bloating.

2. May cause other infections

Probiotics might theoretically cause infections that need to be treated with antibiotics, especially in people with underlying health conditions.

3. Diarrhea and abdominal pain

In some people, probiotics can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain.

4. Unhealthy metabolic activities

They could also cause unhealthy metabolic activities, too much stimulation of the immune system, or gene transfer (insertion of genetic material into a cell).

5. Fungal infections

There have been a few reports of probiotics causing severe fungal infections. People who had this happen found that their immune system was impaired. Thus, it’s important for a person to consult his or her doctor before consuming a probiotic-heavy diet. You don’t want to cause more harm than good.

6. Intestinal Infection

In case of people having an underlying disease or a compromised, probiotics can cause potential health problems. In fact, these individuals are at a higher risk of developing infection after the use of probiotics. Symptoms such as bloody stools, skin rash and fever are indications of intestinal infection. In addition, probiotics may disturb the normal metabolic processes and autoimmune responses of the body. According to medical studies conducted, there is a possibility that probiotics may interact with immunosuppressive drugs, leading to life-threatening conditions. Hence, those who are on immunosuppressive medications should strictly avoid probiotics.

7. Headaches

Some people have reported headaches after they have begun a probiotic regiment. If the practitioner lowers the dosage and this symptom usually goes away.

8. CAM instead of medical treatment

Some people are using probiotics instead of standard medical treatment. If you are thinking about using a probiotic product as CAM (complementary and alternative medicine), consult your health care provider first. No CAM therapy should be used in place of conventional medical care or to delay seeking that care.

9. Governed as food, not drugs

Probiotic products taken by mouth as a dietary supplement are manufactured and regulated as foods, not drugs (for more on this point, see NCCAM’s What’s in the Bottle? An Introduction to Dietary Supplements).

10. Supplements don’t seem to cut it

Studies done on supplements containing probiotics have shown that many do not live up to their claims. There is a difficulty in the studies, as there are many types of probiotics and testing was not done on a one-to-one comparison. Effects from one species or strain of probiotics do not necessarily hold true for others, or even for different preparations of the same species or strain. If you are using a pill supplement – you may be wasting your money. Anything below 1 billion bacteria per gram isn’t really enough to be therapeutic.

More recently, parents are adding a probiotic therapy as part of their kids diet. As with anything, you should consult with your major medical provider before adding childrens probiotics to their diet.

NCCAM-sponsored research on probiotics
Investigators at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine are developing a clinical trial on the effectiveness of selected probiotic agents to treat diarrhea in undernourished children in a developing country.
At the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, researchers have been examining probiotics for possibly decreasing the levels of certain substances in the urine that can cause problems such as kidney stones…
A team at Tufts-New England Medical Center is studying probiotics for treating an antibiotic-resistant type of bacteria that causes severe infections in people who are hospitalized, live in nursing homes, or have weakened immune systems.

• Probiotics medical vs. CAM. History of probiotics
• What are probiotics? Top 10 benefits
• Probiotics for children and recent class action lawsuit against Dannon and probiotic yoghurt.
• Marketing or medical

If you have been to the grocery store recently, you will see that the numbers of products on the market that are exclaiming the benefits of probiotics are growing, exponentially. From probiotic yoghurt containers to new studies on probiotics for children, the are everywhere. Probiotics are food or supplements that contain the healthy bacteria that your body needs to function normally. Our bodies are filled with all types of bacteria and microorganisms. We have both good and bad bacterial. Good bacteria can be depleted during certain times in our lives: taking antibiotics, stress and anxiety. As in any alternative therapy, there are two schools of thought. The medical community insists that there needs to be more research, even though there has already been quite a bit of research. The CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) side embraces existing research and results. There are a myriad of different good bacteria, so the question has been comparing the studies on a one-to-one basis. As consumers, we have to examine the information, read the labels and make sure that this isn’t another marketing bandwagon. As consumers, we need to scrutinize exactly what are probiotics and what are the health benefits of probiotics.

Probiotics, which means, “for life” and have been used for centuries in health-promoting foods. The original observation for the positive role of certain bacteria by Russian scientist and Nobel laureate Eli Metchnikoff, who in 1907 suggested that it would be possible to modify the gut flora and to replace harmful microbes by useful microbes. Throughout the 20th century scientists and members of the medical and homeopathic community continued research, finding more beneficial affects of the good bacterial found in the naturally fermenting process of foods.

The integrative approach recommends that intake of probiotics should be through natural sources such as: yogurt, sour cream, pickles, whey and sauerkraut.

The top ten benefits of probiotics appear to be:

1. Studies have found that probiotics may improve nutrient bioavailability for B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium and phosphorous; among others.

2. Probiotics for children: Pediatric studies found that certain strains (such as Lactobacillus GG, found in Culturelle capsules) may aid in significantly decreasing the rate of acute diarrhea and rotavirus shedding. Parents also reported a 25 percent decrease in diaper rash among babies drinking formula containing probiotics.

3. Probiotics and active bacteria culture may improve lactose intolerance. The bacterial strain commonly used in yogurt can produce lactase enzymes. Therefore, people with lactose intolerance and children suffering from intestinal infection can usually tolerate yogurt with an active culture. Probiotic yogurt and yogurt products are the latest craze.

4. Prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections. These types of infections are usually due
to a severe imbalance of bacteria and rapid growth of the bad bacteria. Historically treated with antibiotics that kill all bacteria; it is thought that introducing the healthy or good bacteria brings the body back to a balanced format.

5. Some studies have showed that by regulating intestinal transit time, probiotics improve constipation among the elderly.

6. Other studies have shown that probiotics, especially acidophilus, promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon and reduce the conversion of bile into carcinogens (cancer-causing substances).

7. Some studies have found that probiotics may enhance immunity by regulating lymphocytes and antibodies.

8. There have been additional studies that have shown probiotics to improve the symptoms and problems of irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

9. Lowering cholesterol is another probiotic benefit. Animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy of a range of LAB to be able to lower serum cholesterol levels. Some, but not all human trials have shown that dairy foods fermented with specific LAB can produce modest reductions in total and LDL cholesterol levels in those with normal levels to begin with, however trials in hyperlipidemic subjects are needed

10. Several small clinical trials have shown that probiotics can result in modest reductions in blood pressure.
Something to note: A recent class action lawsuit against Danone’s (or Dannon’s) Activia yogurt sparked discussion about health benefits of probiotics. Most yogurt products contain active cultures anyway, so some people wonder if it’s really worth paying a premium for extra probiotic strains.

In this article you will learn:

• What are probiotics for dogs?
• Conditions where probiotics are recommended: health benefits of probiotics
• Beneficial properties of probiotics for dogs
• Where you can get probiotic product for dogs
• Cautionary purchase advisement

The new awareness of the health benefits of probiotics for ourselves and probiotics for dogs brings about new questions. The answer to the main question, What are probiotics? Is that probiotics are the good bacteria and yeast, and are used to restore the balance of microflora (bacteria) in the gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics also combat the bad, harmful bacteria that have grown out of proportion due to numerous reasons, such as: disruption of balance by drugs such as antibiotics, or steroids. Dietary change or poor diet. Exposure to a pathogenic virus or bacteria. Exposure to pollutants or allergens, such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc. Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Stress due to changes in environment, etc.

Probiotics include a variety of bacteria species, most of which are lactic acid bacteria, such as L. acidophilus, and L. bulgaricus. They act as the body’s first line of defense against other microorganisms that your dog eats or inhales. Thus, having a constant supply of these friendly bacteria in your dog’s gastrointestinal tract can help prevent a wide range of health problems. These friendly bacteria must be present in optimal numbers and ratio (approx. 85% beneficial to 15% non-beneficial).

Your dog has their own sense of imbalance within the GI tract. They will often try to eat grass, which can cause vomiting. This is a clue to you that there is something wrong within their natural balance. An imbalance in the intestinal tract has been known to be associated with: Arthritis, Yeast infection (known as Candida), chronic constipation, asthma, food allergies and intolerance, skin irritations such as psoriasis and eczema
Probiotics for intestinal problems: Arthritis, yeast infection (known as Candida), chronic constipation, asthma, food allergy and intolerance, skin irritations such as psoriasis and eczema.

There are two important times that you should consider probiotics for dogs :

1. Puppy:

When born, the puppy’s intestinal tract is relatively ‘clean and sterile’. It’s an excellent time to fortify the tract with the good bacteria. Probiotics are then beneficial when a puppy starts to wean from mother’s milk. It will help the puppy make the dietary adjustment to puppy food and assist in food digestion and nutrient absorption.

2. After Antibiotic Treatment:

Just as in humans, antibiotics kill all bacteria. If your dog has been placed on a regiment of antibiotics, this will remove all of the good bacteria, as well as the bad. Adding a probiotics product to the diet will replenish the healthy bacteria to assist in returning the balance to the dog’s intestinal tract.

How do we get probiotics? It is always recommended to use live bacteria from naturally fermented products such as yogurt. Natural products have a higher health benefit of probiotics. If you are lucky, your dog will love the taste and gobble it up. If not, there are probiotic supplements you can add to their diet. Little study has been done on the supplement products in dogs, but they have the appearance of being healthy.

Always get your probiotics for dogs from a Veterinarian or a high quality pet store. Use the same cautionary examination of probiotic product labels that you would for yourself. Many of the cheaper products are made out of the country, with less than clean manufacturing environments. This was proven during the 2008 pet food poisoning problem. They may also contain a higher percentage of fillers and additives with labels that mislead you.

• Health benefits of probiotics
• Benefits of probiotics and antibiotics
• Prebiotic and probiotic product sources

Almost everyone has that unusual feeling in your stomach and intestinal area that all is not quite right. Symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, ulcers, and other gastrointestinal woes, as well as yeast infections. These disorders can be caused by a number of life situations from taking antibiotic medication (kills all bacteria) to stress and anxiety. What you may not be aware of is that we have a plethora of bacteria and microorganisms in our bodies. Probiotics are the good bacteria that keep everything in balance. Prebiotics are the soluble fibers that keep the probiotics alive and multiplying. Both are needed to have a healthy digestive system. How do probiotics and prebiotics affect our daily lives and gastrointestinal health?

The health benefits of probiotics can help combat illnesses in several ways: They make the intestines less habitable for harmful bacteria by changing the chemistry of the gut; they produce antimicrobial compounds that destroy pathogenic microbes; and they beat the bad bacteria by competing with them for nutrients. According to Mary Ellen Sanders, executive director of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, “they also appear to enhance our own immune function. They do this, in part, by stimulating the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.” Probiotics and antibiotics are enemies. Antibiotics remove all bacteria, good and bad.

Probiotics need nourishment. Prebiotics are indigestible ingredients you eat that stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria by serving as food for them. This is their best benefit to gastrointestinal health. The most common prebiotics are inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), types of soluble fiber similar to oat bran, psyllium, and pectin in apples. Prebiotics differ from these soluble fibers, however, in that they specifically encourage the growth of probiotics, especially bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, in the gut. Inulin and FOS also confer some of the same health benefits associated with other types of soluble fiber, such as providing bulk to move waste through the intestines and helping to sweep out potential carcinogens.

Prebiotics encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria and work closely with probiotics to reduce risks of several diseases:

1} Intestinal health
Prebiotics increase fecal bulk, shorten transit time in the intestines, and relieve constipation. They also help treat Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases by reducing inflammation and encouraging the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

2} Lower cholesterol
Research suggests that prebiotics enhance the cholesterol-lowering actions of probiotics, and help reduce cholesterol and blood lipids in their own right.

3} Colorectal cancer
Prebiotics may help reduce harmful microbes that can cause inflammation or are producing carcinogens. Also, by binding up carcinogens in the gastrointestinal tract and stimulating peristalsis and elimination, prebiotics may further help prevent and treat colorectal cancer.

4} Immune system
According to Glenn Gibson, Ph.D., professor of food microbiology and head of the Food Biosciences Department at the University of Reading, England, some preliminary studies suggest that prebiotics can improve resistance against infection. They accomplish this by providing food for probiotics, which make the immune system function more efficiently by “training” it to mount a speedy response to pathogens, clear them from the body, and then “calm down” again. Probiotics and prebiotics involve a nice balance of both when it comes to gastrointestinal health.

5} Bone Health
Another health benefit of probiotics is bone health. Inulin in particular appears to enhance the uptake of calcium, probably both by increasing water in the bowel and boosting the volume of fluid in which calcium can dissolve and by acidifying the colon and, thus, raising the concentration of calcium.

So what are the sources of prebiotics and probiotics?

1} You can get prebiotics naturally:
The fiber in oats, oat bran, barley, rice bran, apples, berries, and legumes acts as food for probiotic bacteria. However, microbes vary and so does their diet. Probiotics tend to like soluble fiber, while harmful bacteria don’t.

2} Dietary phenols support friendly flora by inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. They’re found in legumes, tea, red wine, fruits, berries, and dark chocolate.

3} Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Some animal studies suggest that polyunsaturated fatty acids may function as prebiotics to a small degree, by inhibiting the growth of pathogens. Examples of food sources include nuts, seeds, several vegetable oils (such as soy, safflower, corn, and sunflower), and fatty fish, like salmon, tuna, and herring.

4} Naturally fermented
The best sources of probiotics are naturally fermented items such as yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, sour cream and whey.

4} Supplements as a probiotic product
Studies have yet to show any significant benefit from supplement probiotics. The medical community admits that continued studies and research need to be pursued.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered or used as medical advice and is for educational purposes only. You should always consult with your primary medical provider.

• Probiotics are living microorganisms that provide health benefits to their hosts. Prebiotics are non-digestible compounds found in the foods we eat naturally.
• However, prebiotics can be added to almost any type of food or beverage quite easily. Since these compounds are not alive as the probiotics are, they are much easier to use as an additive.

If you’ve been listening to commercials or reading health articles on the Internet, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the terms probiotics and prebiotics before. That’s because they are part of a growing trend in the nutritional industry and are considered the next big wave in what’s supposed to be good for you. Since you’ll be hearing a great deal more about probiotics and prebiotics in the coming months and years, now is a good time to become more familiar with them.

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics have been defined by the World Health Organization as living microorganisms that provide health benefits to their hosts. Most are very similar to organisms we currently have inside our bodies right now. For example, we have good bacteria inside our digestive tract that helps keep us healthy. Probiotics help in much the same way as they would.

Evidence is still being collected on the effectiveness of probiotics but initial findings have shown promising treatment benefits for many conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, vaginal yeast infections, and even childhood eczema. While many foods in the Asian market have already begun to be enhanced with probiotics, this is just now beginning in the United States. The most high profile examples are some of the yogurt brands which have incorporated probiotic bacteria strains, such as the Bifidobacteria.

A growing part of the probiotic culture is the combining of these living microorganisms with prebiotics to create what are known as synbiotics. The idea is that these different compounds complement each other and increase the impact of their respective health benefits.

What are Prebiotics?

Beyond probiotics are prebiotics which are non-digestible compounds found in the foods we eat naturally. These prebiotics are believed to stimulate the activity of the probiotics just as they would help increase the effectiveness of the naturally growing bacteria living in our bodies. One of the most common prebiotics identified so far has been a type of starch which has been found in low amounts in many of the foods we normally eat, including onions, bananas, and asparagus.

However, prebiotics can be added to almost any type of food or beverage quite easily. Since these compounds are not alive as the probiotics are, they are much easier to use as an additive. In fact, England already has a wide array of prebiotic-enhanced products on the market, including cereals, waters, breads, and more.

While some of these products have relatively low levels of prebiotics, the good news is that it may not take much to help them do their job. Just five grams of prebiotics are needed to make the popular Bifidobacteria work effectively.

Who Should Be Taking Them?

At this point, more needs to be learned about probiotics and prebiotics before concrete health recommendations can be made. You may not want to go out of your way to add supplements and enhanced foods to your diet yet. However, if you do have digestive problems or if you want to give some of these products a try, there’s no reason not to indulge in a little Bifidobacteria or other probiotics with a touch of prebiotics every now and then.

• Probiotic products (meaning “for life” ) category of the nutrition industry is very prominent.
• One of the newer forms of probiotic bacteria that is available is called Bacillus Coagulans.
• Bacillus Coagulans is a weapon in the arsenal for fighting high cholesterol and heart disease.

The Probiotic (meaning “for life”) category of the nutrition industry is very prominent. You can’t watch TV for too long without seeing an ad touting a specific yogurt or drink that provides health-enhancing lactobacillus. Many of these products deliver a small but effective dose of these beneficial bacteria, aimed at improving immunity and digestion. While this is all good, the limitations on getting healthy bacteria through this means are twofold. One, along with the dosage being small, the type of bacteria in yogurt is limited to one of a couple different kinds such as acidophilus and bulgaricus. Two, many of these products have sugar added to them, which tends to counteract the health benefits of the lactobacillus bacteria. There are many different strains of probiotic bacteria that all possess differing qualities, and it is wise to have a good combination of these is the diet, either through food or supplementation.

One of the newer forms of healthy bacteria that is available is termed “Bacillus Coagulans”. It is well researched and offers several benefits for good health. For intestinal disorders, it helps alleviate constipation, colitis, diarrhea, and dyspepsia (gut problems). It has also shown an ability to help combat lactose intolerance and other digestive disturbances. Interestingly, Bacillus Coagulans seems to be able to convert cholesterol into coprostanol, which is a form of cholesterol that is less readily absorbed by the body. This makes it a weapon in the arsenal for fighting high cholesterol and heart disease. Like most healthy bacteria, Coagulans also stimulates immune response.

Many forms of beneficial bacteria, such as acidophilus, are not very stable at room temperature. This means they have a tendency to break down, or lose their potency, if not kept cold. In supplement form, these types of products lose potency continuously as they age sitting on a store shelf. What’s worse, a large portion of ingested beneficial bacteria is destroyed by stomach acid before it can get to the area where it is needed, the small and large intestine. On the other hand, Bacillus Coagulans has been tested and shown to have a strong stability. After 3 years at room temperature, at least 90% of the active culture remains viable. And, it is highly resistant to stomach acid allowing the needed bacteria to reach the lower GI tract.

While it is safe to say that Bacillus Coagulans can offer many positive benefits for health, it is important to remember that it is only one of several different strains of healthy bacteria that are needed by the body. It is always preferable to ingest through food or supplement, a balanced blend of complementary strains of good bacteria. It is also vital to get a healthy daily dose of both insoluble and soluble fibers to keep the intestinal tract normal and free of toxins.