How To Take Care Of Your Baby’s Gut Health With Probiotics

Gut health, and the associated role of probiotics in maintaining it, has become one of the most important and well studied topics within the world of scientific inquiry.

This holds true not only for adults, but children as well.

Many parents are curious as to whether or not probiotics are suitable for their infants, but as we will explore today there are a number of contexts in which the use of specific probiotics is strongly supported.

Approximately 80% of human immune system cells are located in the digestive tract and the first 1,000 days of life play an important role both in the formation of the immune system and the establishment of a healthy balance in a child’s gut bacteria.

Imbalances in the gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis, can cause or contribute to a number of issues.

And that’s where probiotics, which may be either bacteria or yeast species, have a role to play.

In today’s article we explore the role of a specific yeast-based probiotic strain- Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745® (also referred to as SB within), the core strain of Florastor probiotics, for the past 65 years.

Let’s get right into it.

How Does SB Maintain Gastrointestinal Health?

Before we get into the specific gut-related conditions SB can help your child address, let’s start by understanding what exactly Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745® accomplishes within the human digestive tract.

Here are some highlights based on our most current scientific understanding¹:

• Changes to digestive enzymes
• Binding and removing of “bad” bacteria”
• Creating an environment in the gut that favors growth of “good” bacteria
• Protecting the delicate layers of the digestive tract
• Direct influence on the immune response

But how do these effects translate to meaningful improvements to an infant’s digestive health?

Let’s take a closer look at some specific problems that SB has been demonstrated to help resolve.

Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea (AAD)

Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea, or AAD, is essentially diarrhea that arises during or after a course of antibiotic treatment in some children and adults as a result of the disruption to the gut microbiome that can occur through the use of these medications.

One of the most well studied features of Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745® is that it reduces the incidence of AAD in children by 80%⁴.

Acute Diarrhea (AD)

Acute Diarrhea [AD] in children is most likely to occur as a result of a viral or bacterial infection.

A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted via the official journal of the American Society Of Pediatrics³ determined that SB has “Safe and has clear beneficial effects in children who have acute diarrhea.”

As per this review, children who utilized this probiotic had a shorter duration of diarrhea and less daily bowel movements during this period.

Another unpleasant consequence that can be associated with AD is vomiting and it has been demonstrated that Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745® can reduce the duration of vomiting in infants with acute diarrhea as well4.

H. pylori Infection

Although there are many different types of viral and bacterial infections that can affect children, H. pylori generates additional interest due it its commonality and the fact it is a leading cause of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining).

Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745® has been demonstrated to compliment the standard triple antibiotic eradication process of H.pylori both by enhancing its effectiveness and, of course, reducing AAD that can come with antibiotic use⁵.

Incorporating Florastor probiotics (SB) in your baby routine is easy

Florastor probiotics are made of 100% Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745®.

Vegetarian, gluten free and non-GMO, the Florastor Baby probiotics, can be easily incorporated in your baby food routine. As it can be mixed with formula, milk food and do not need any refrigeration.

Florastor Baby, treat diarrhea and reduce throw-ups, help strengthen babies digestive balance and supports a healthy immune system.

Florastor is the ONLY probiotic naturally resistant to ALL antibiotics.

Andy De Santis RD MPH

@AndyTheRD