Choosing a Probiotic for Your Child;
A Digestible Guide
Parenthood is all about information overload and do’s and don’ts when it comes to children’s health. Add probiotics and aggressive marketing to the mix, and you’ve got a pretty overwhelming list of foods and supplements you ‘should’ be feeding them. But let’s take a couple of steps back and revisit the concept of probiotics.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are good microorganisms, mainly bacteria. When eaten, they can travel through a child’s digestive system and end up in their gut (1). Once they reach their destination, they can provide many health benefits by adding to the richness of the microbiome that is already present in the child’s body (1) In the long-term, a healthy microbiome supports your child’s growth and development in many ways, such as relief from different types of diarrhea, colic, behavioural challenges, and eczema (1,2).
Probiotics from Food
If you’re all about the au naturel route when it comes to fuelling your little one’s body, we’ve got you covered. The following foods can have probiotics built into them! Keep an eye out for ‘active bacterial cultures/cells’ on the packaging.
1. Dairy products: yogurt, aged cheeses (example, cottage cheese), kefir, ice cream
2. Fermented foods: kombucha, miso, tempeh
3. Baby and toddler cereals and formula
4. Granola bars
5. Fruit and vegetable juices
Try to include a variety of these foods as frequently as you can during the week in your child’s diet to support their overall health and well-being. In addition to housing tons of superbugs, these foods are also rich in many vitamins and minerals, like calcium and vitamin D. Now, isn’t that a genius idea to sneak in some extra nourishment for your child?
Probiotics from Supplements
Typically, supplements are recommended when a child has a specific health concern, such as colic or diarrhea, and contain a higher dose of probiotics. Probiotic supplements can be found in the form of ointments, capsules, drops, and gummies.
Supplements are not regulated as strictly as medicines in Canada, so we need to do a little bit of homework before choosing the best one for our child’s needs. This means 1) checking-in with a pediatrician or pediatric dietitian and 2) learning how to read the label.
Be a label reading pro with these tips
1. Each probiotic strain targets a specific health condition. Identify the aspect of your child’s health you are most concerned about and choose the probiotic strain accordingly. While one strain might relieve your child of tummy upsets and numerous poopy episodes (aka diarrhea), the other may be involved in strengthening their immune system (4). In other words, there is no playing eeny meeny miny mo when you’re buying supplements.
2. Ensure that the complete name of the probiotic strain is mentioned on the packaging. Just ‘Lactobacillus’ won’t do the trick because it could mean Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1, Lactobacill — you get the point. The more specific, the better.
3. The dose at which a probiotic is effective is specific to the strain (4). Follow the instructions on the packaging to know the correct dose for your child and talk to your pediatrician. Remember, a higher dose ≠ more effective (5).
4. Check the expiry date. Most probiotic supplements contain around 100 million – 10 billion alive bacteria. But as the expiry date gets closer, the bacteria will start to die and can no longer work in a child’s body. Pick a product which has the number of probiotics listed at the expiry date rather than at the date of manufacture (5).
5. Research, research, research! And only rely on those probiotic products whose effectiveness and safety have been proven in multiple clinical trials (4). Some examples of trustworthy brands which use scientific evidence to back up their claims are Biogaia, Culturelle, Genestra, NFH, and Nestle.
6. Check the storage instructions for guidelines around refrigeration and exposure to heat, air, and moisture. Probiotics are very sensitive to their environment (5). Ensure you can follow the storage guidelines before buying the product.
7. Always make sure the 8-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) is listed on the packaging. If the NPN is missing, it means the supplement is not approved by Health Canada and there is no guarantee for its safety and quality (6).
8. Read the claims on the packaging properly. If your gut tells you that they sound too good to be true, they probably are and the supplement shouldn’t be taking up space in your grocery cart or your child’s tummy.
9. In case of allergies and intolerance, pay close attention to the ingredients list for allergens, gluten, lactose, artificial colours and flavours, preservatives, etc.
Note: Make sure your child does not have any underlying health issues, such as in the case of preemies. Probiotics can weaken their immune system (5). Consult a pediatrician or pediatric dietitian if you have any concerns.
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References
1. Codagnone MG, Stanton C, O’Mahony SM, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. Microbiota and neurodevelopmental trajectories: Role of maternal and early-life nutrition. Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(suppl 2):16–27. https://doi.org/10.1159/000499144.
2. Dinan TG, Cryan JF. The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour: implications for psychiatry. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015;18(6):552-8. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0000000000000221.
3. Ciorba MA. A gastroenterologist’s guide to probiotics. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012;10(9):960-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2012.03.024.
4. Sniffen JC, McFarland LV, Evans CT, Goldstein EJC. Choosing an appropriate probiotic product for your patient: An evidence-based practical guide. PLoS ONE. 2018;13(12):e0209205. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0209205.
5. National Institutes of Health [Internet]. Maryland: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; [updated 2020 June 3; cited 2020 July 28]. Probiotics – Fact Sheet for Health Professionals [about 11 screens]. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/.
6. Health Canada [Internet]. Ottawa: Government of Canada [updated 2019 Jan 4; cited 2020 July 28]. Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD]. [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/natural-non-prescription/applications-submissions/product-licensing/licensed-natural-health-products-database.html.
