Dr. Brandy Victory, Nederland. You’ve certainly heard of “probiotics” since it’s the rage in the wellness industry, and now leaking into mainstream consumerism. You may already be taking them, but are you giving them to your children?  

Research shows that probiotics may be helpful for children too, as they may help support a child’s digestive system, immune health or even address specific conditions like constipation, irritable bowel, diarrhea and acid reflux. If your child is having any of these issues, visit a doctor. These symptoms need to be resolved.

In addition, if your child has taken antibiotics, probiotics can help ease side effects. However, you don’t want to give them at the same time.

Although probiotics are useful for keeping the digestive tract healthy as well as influence weight, mood and metabolism, it’s important to know which probiotics to give your child, as they may not work the same way as they do with adults.  

I commonly tell patients who ask me if I like probiotics, “Yes, as long as they’re the right ones.”  There are many different varieties and they all do something different, plus you want to make sure you are getting a brand that’s absorbable and doesn’t die off in the digestive tract, which is a very common problem.  

Some research suggests probiotics can help kids avoid conditions like autoimmune diseases, allergies and asthma. Other research suggests probiotics may not have much effect on kids, as their microbiome isn’t fully developed and may simply pass as normal waste. What to do?

For kids, since they’re still developing their micro-biome, it may be better to get probiotics through foods, plus ensure they are getting pre-biotics, which may be more important. 

Pre-biotics, a type of fiber the human body can’t digest, serve as food for your innate probiotics, the “good guys” you were born with, that live in your gut. They need to eat too! Think of pre-biotics as fertilizer for your “good guys.” They help them flourish and make your gut microbiome more diverse. When your “good guys” flourish, they help keep the “bad guys” at bay, enhancing the power of the immune system.

Pre-biotics pass through your small intestines then ferment in your large intestine to create the food your “good guys” need. This helps them multiply and creates a better barrier for your immune system because you’re feeding your innate bacteria profile.  

Your microbiome is like a fingerprint. We’re all different on the inside when it comes to our bacterial population. Therefore, feeding your child’s personal, innate “good guys” gives them more power to withstand the harshness of our toxic and processed world. There’s evidence that probiotics don’t actually “seed” the gut lining, and after stopping probiotic use, within 8 weeks often there is no residual probiotic left. Hence, why you want to feed your child’s innate bacteria with pre-biotics.

Prebiotic foods include bananas, artichokes, asparagus, onions, garlic, flax seed, jicama, seaweed, oats and apples. Probiotic foods include fermented and aged foods like yogurt, raw sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, kefir and cottage cheese, and they each contain different types of probiotics.

Hopefully you can get your child to eat some of these health-promoting foods to enhance their microbiome so their immune system will be empowered. 

You may find it easier to give them a pre and probiotic supplement. If that’s the direction you’d like to go, and there are no significant symptoms your child is exhibiting, go with a broad -spectrum probiotic. One of my favorite brands that you can buy off the shelf is Garden of Life Raw Probiotics for Kids as they include pre-biotics in the form of raw, organic fruits and vegetables.  

If you’d like to have a more personalized recommendation for your child, you may want to visit a functional medicine practitioner or naturopath. Everybody is different and not everyone is going to respond the same way to any particular product or supplement. 

Regardless, if you’re considering probiotics for your kids, speak with their pediatrician first. This is for educational purposes only. May your family’s health flourish.

For questions, contact our office: admin@drbrandyvictory.com, 303-619-7766.

(Originally published in the September 5, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)