Prebiotics–Their Effects On Immune System And Recurrent Infections

It’s a widely accepted fact that nutrition during early life can significantly impact growth as well as the immediate and future health of the infant. Breastfeeding and nutritional intervention during this critical window can help avert both infectious and non-communicable disease risk during childhood and later life. A lesser-known fact about breast milk is - it is a living substance and its composition does not remain constant. Prebiotic oligosaccharides are an abundant bioactive component present in breast milk. This component is naturally effective in protecting and promoting the health of infants.

Breast Milk – Benefits & Characteristics:

Breast milk adapts closely to match the changing needs of the infants. As the baby grows older, the mother’s breast milk produces more antibodies and lymphocytes to help the baby resist infections caused by pathogens & viruses present in the environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continue up to 2 years of life along with complementary feed.

The composition of human milk is extremely complex. It consists of 88% water and major compounds such as lactose, lipids, and proteins in appropriate proportions. However, the lesser known fact is that prebiotic Oligosaccharides are the 3rd largest component of breast milk. They are important for enhancing immunity and gut health.

What are Prebiotics?

If you have been conscious about keeping your gut healthy, then you might have heard about beneficial probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics refer to the actual bacteria that help to improve intestinal health where as prebiotics are the non-digestible components of food that are needed for the probiotics to ferment and remain alive in the gut. This creates a healthy gut flora there by making the immune system stronger. Prebiotics are far more than a list of ingredients and much more than nutrition.

Several studies have shown that prebiotics selectively stimulates the growth and activity of good bacteria present in the human gut, while it also potentially reduces the risk of certain bad bacteria causing recurrent infections.

Low immunity typically manifests as recurrent infections. Recurrent Infections are typically defined as more frequently occurring, more severe and long-lasting infections in the human body in a year. Examples are cold, cough, fever, gastrointestinal infections, allergies, etc.

It has been discovered that prebiotics has a profound influence on these recurrent infections as they naturally strengthen the baby’s immune system. According to available scientific data, supplementation of short chain GOS/long chain FOS (scGOS/lcGOS) offers benefits such as:

    Promotes frequent and softer stools
    Decreases usage of antibiotics
    Reduces incidences of diarrhoea
    Decreases incidence of cold and fever
    Reduces allergic illnesses
    Improves gut health

With so many notable and unrivaled health benefits– ‘Be certain about the safety  and efficacy of prebiotics’.

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Did you know 70% to 80% Immunity comes from the Gut?

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms for the first time, a strong resolve stirs within to protect your baby from all kinds of harm. You want to ensure that your baby is healthy and grows well. While you ponder over all the things you can do to ensure their well-being, their immunity is often the first factor that comes to your mind.

In both short and long run, it is your baby’s immunity that is going to keep them healthy and free from the infections, cold, diarrhoea, and allergies, which are the primary culprits in the early years.

Thus, building immunity is the first step to shield your bundle of joy from all harm and diseases.

When talking about the immune system one cannot ignore the important role of the gastrointestinal tract. About 70%-80% of immune cells are present in the gut. Thus, it could be said that a healthy gut helps build a healthy immune system.

The Impact of Gut Health on Immunity

The mother helps build the infant’s immune system from the time they are in the womb and which continues until the child is on breast feeds. The baby derives its nutrition and a steady flow of antibodies from the mother, via the placenta. This transfer of antibody is referred to as “passive immunity.”

Once they are born, it is the mother’s milk that goes a long way in building immunity in the baby. Human milk contains the best nutritive elements for infants and certain bioactive compounds. These components together help in creating a stable environment in the gut, such as promoting the good bacteria, decreasing the bad bacteria, facilitating bowel movement, improving the mucosal layer etc. which help boost the immunity in infants.

Prebiotics and their role in Building Infant Immunity

Mother’s milk contains prebiotics oligosaccharides, the 3rd largest component after lactose and fats, and is distinct from probiotics. Prebiotic oligosaccharidesare carbohydrates that pass undigested through the stomach and small intestine. On reaching the large intestine they are digested by the good bacteria such as lactobacilli, Bifidobacterium etc. and in turn boost their growth further. The increase in good bacteria has several benefits for the baby, foremost being reduction in the number of pathogenic or infectious organisms.

Years of research has highlighted the following health benefits of prebiotic oligosaccharide for infants:

    Promotes frequent and softer stools
    Decreases usage of antibiotics
    Reduces diarrhoea
    Reduces constipation
    Decreases incidence of cold and fever
    Reduces allergic illnesses
    Improves gut health
    Reduces infantile colic

Including Prebiotics in your Infant’s Diet

With more research backing the findings on the beneficial role prebiotics have in building gut health and thus, immunity in babies, it is essential for parents to include this ingredient in their baby’s diet. The routes through which they can be provided are primarily breast milk and complementary feeds (when initiated). You can consult your health care professional to know more about it.

Colostrum, the first yellow thick milk produced by mothers, is rich in antibodies and is considered an inoculum that programs the baby’s immune system to respond in the right manner to infections and pathogens. Nutrients that confer immunity such as prebiotics, immunoglobulins, probiotics etc. continue to be transferred throughout the duration of breastfeeding. Breastmilk, therefore provides a healthy start to your baby’s gut health and overall immune system development.

The scientifically-created prebiotics such as galacto-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin, polydextrose etc,have also shown signs of providing effects similar to that of naturally occurring prebiotics.

Having access to prebiotic oligosaccharides can help the baby build a healthy immunity from birth which would in turn promote their overall growth and development.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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Cutting out on these foods can help combat gastrointestinal issues

Cutting out specific foods can alleviate gastrointestinal issues for physically active people, especially a runner, researchers say. The study, showed that a low fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide and polyol (or FODMAP) diet reduces some of the issues caused by exercise such as stomach cramps and bloating, and improves a person's perceived ability to exercise.

FODMAP foods include those containing lactose (milk, yoghurt and cheese), fructans (found in cereals, bread and pasta), galactic-oligosaccharides (legumes and onions), excess fructose (for example in apples, pears and asparagus) and polyols (often added as a food additive).

"We found a clear benefit when following the low FODMAP diet, with a reduction in exercise-related gastrointestinal symptoms amongst otherwise healthy, recreational runners," said a researcher.

For the study, the researchers involved a group of healthy recreational exercisers.  Everyone in the group followed two eating plans for one week at a time, with the key difference being the FODMAP content.

The findings, found that 69 per cent of those following a low FODMAP diet experienced an improvement in symptoms and were able to exercise more frequently and at a higher intensity.

In addition, the improvement in perceived pain, in conjunction with reduced experiences of bloating whilst on a low FODMAP diet, is likely explained by a reduction in intestinal water volume and gas production, caused by fewer indigestible carbohydrates available for fermentation in the gut.

However, further studies are needed to examine the benefits of this diet when combined with long-term training strategies. It is important that people take care if deciding to follow a low FODMAP diet, as reductions in total caloric and carbohydrate intake may impact on nutritional quality, he suggested.
 

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