Can probiotics for children make their moods happier?

Which parent does not want their baby to grow up healthy and smart? For the sake of realizing all of this, it is not only heredity (genetic) and the environment that play a role. The provision of daily food and drink also supports the child's growth and development process. Likewise with foods containing probiotics.

He said, eating probiotic sources of food can make children feel happier because it helps regulate the child's mood, you know. Is that right?

What do probiotics do for children?

Probiotics are often referred to as good bacteria that live naturally in the body, especially in the digestive tract. Its function is to maintain the smooth running of metabolism in absorbing food.

There is no need to doubt, giving probiotics for children has positive benefits for gastrointestinal health because it increases the number of good bacteria in the intestine.

Even according to Prof. dr. Yvan Vandenplas, Ph.D. as Chair of the Children's Department of the University of Brussels Academic Hospital, Belgium, probiotics are not only healthy for the digestive tract of children.

"Probiotics that are given regularly can prevent bacterial attacks, strengthen the body's immune system, and support the development of the child's body," said Prof. dr. Yvan Vandenplas when met by the Hello Sehat team at Hotel Ayana Midplaza, Central Jakarta on Thursday (29/11).

Is it true that probiotics can make children happier?

When met at the same opportunity, dr. Ray Basrowi, MKK, as the Head of Medical and Nutrition Service at Nestlé Indonesia, said that a healthy digestive system can help children so they don't get sick easily.

Interestingly, the health of the digestive system can be seen from the facial expressions of the child. "A good digestive system not only plays an important role in making children healthy, but will also make children feel happier."

"One of the concepts that underlie this is the theory that the digestive system has a direct relationship with the brain, or in medical language it is known asgut-brain axis. Since the beginning of life, it turns out that the cells that make up the digestive system and the cells that make up the brain have the same origin, ”added dr. Ray.

Furthermore, reported by Harvard Health Publishing, the brain and digestive system are indeed connected to each other through biochemical signals known as the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system. Almost like the brain, the intestines in the digestive tract also produce many neurotransmitters (chemical compounds that transmit nerve cell signals) like the brain. For example serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. All of them play a role in setting the mood (mood) child. In short, anything that affects the brain has the same effect on the gut and vice versa.

When the brain receives a signal of sadness, disappointment, or other unpleasant taste, the signal is transmitted to the intestines. That is why events that make children stressful and unhappy will eventually cause new problems in the digestive system. Whether it's diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and so on. Conversely, an imbalance in the number of good and bad bacteria in the digestive system can cause certain diseases which will have a bad impact on the child's mood. Even problems with the balance of bacteria in the body are reported to trigger anxiety and depression.

However, it is still too early if we firmly state that the direct role of probiotics is positive for mood swings in children because probiotic research is still being developed.

What is the best source of probiotics for children?

In fact, almost all children have obtained natural sources of probiotics from breast milk. Unfortunately, there are some children who do not get breast milk so they need a substitute for these natural probiotics.

Met at the same event, Dr. dr. Ariani D. Widodo, Sp.A (K), a pediatrician who is a pediatrician and consultant for pediatric gastroenterohepatology at the Harapan Kita Children's and Mother Hospital, revealed that the digestive tracts of children aged 1-2 years are immature.

This makes the mucosal lining in the digestive tract still thin, susceptible to bacteria, and the immune system has not developed optimally. As a result, children are prone to digestive problems.

So, to prevent this, it is recommended that you meet your child's probiotic needs as early as possible. Of the many food sources of probiotics, dr. Ray explained that milk is the best source of probiotics for children.

Keep in mind that probiotics are live bacteria. Generally, probiotics added to milk are deactivated or become dormant for a while. When taken by a child, the probiotic bacteria will live and be active again in carrying out their duties.

In addition, most powdered milk products containing probiotics usually recommend brewing with warm water, not hot water. The reason is because hot water can actually kill probiotics that should be alive.

Here, dr. Ray and dr. Ariani reminded parents to always read the label instructions or procedures for making milk or other foods containing probiotics on product packaging. Because, sometimes there are rules that differentiate how to make milk that contains probiotics and those that don't.