Mums, find out why bacteria is not a bad word

Susu Ibu Adalah Terbaik Untuk Si Manja Anda

Danone Specialized Nutrition (Malaysia) menyokong penyusuan susu ibu secara ekslusif untuk enam bulan pertama selepas kelahiran. Selepas berusia enam bulan, bayi haruslah diberikan makanan pelengkap yang bersesuaian dengan usia di samping meneruskan penyusuan susu ibu sehingga bayi berusia dua tahun atau lebih. Rujuk doktor anda sebelum membuat keputusan untuk menggunakan susu formula atau jika anda mengalami kesukaran dalam penyusuan susu ibu.

Mums, find out why bacteria is not a bad word

The word bacteria can strike fear in any mother. But did you know that your child's growth and development depends on the presence of trillions of good bacteria in his gut? Read on to find out more.

Just the mention of the word bacteria is enough to strike panic in many mums. After all, aren’t they the monstrous microscopic creatures that cause their children to fall sick?

They are dangerous little things and must be rid of, right? Actually no, not quite.

There are some bacteria that are absolutely essential to help support your child's healthy gut, which can affect his total well-being. These "good" or friendly bacteria help support the functions of his gut such as digesting his food, protecting him from infection-causing bad bacteria and influencing his mood, thus supporting his physical and mental well-being.

Where do the good bacteria live?

Here is an astonishing fact: The microbes in our body outnumber human cells by 10:1¹, and majority of them live in our gut. In fact, taken together, the gut microbiota (all the microbes in the gut) weighs more than the brain².

Given this rather large concentration of bacteria in our bodies, it is logical to assume that they do actually play a rather important role in the functioning of our bodies, right from birth.

What do the good bacteria do?

One of the main, and most obvious, functions that the bacteria in your child’s gut perform is to support digestion.

However, that is just one of the things that your child’s gut does. It is central to your child’s overall health and well-being because it impacts his physical growth and brain development through nutrient absorption, builds his natural defences, as well as influences his mood.

Research is increasingly linking digestive health to overall health³. Here is how your child’s healthy gut microbiota positively impacts his gut health and total well-being.

Why good gut health matters:

Supports Physical Growth

Good bacteria facilitate digestion and absorption processes, especially breaking down complex food that the stomach and small intestines have difficulties to do so. The digested food and absorbed nutrients provide all the energy and the nutrition that your child’s growing body needs. For example, protein is important to achieve good growth. A sub-optimal protein intake may lead to growth failure^4,5.

Supports Brain Development

Digested nutrients such as DHA and ARA provide building blocks for optimal brain development. In addition, an essential trace nutrient such as iron – sent to the brain via the gut – is important to achieve good brain development. Insufficient iron intake may lead to impaired cognitive development^6,7.

Support the Gut–Brain communication

The gut and the brain engage in a constant two-way communication. This communication is important as the brain sends emotional messages which impact the functioning of the gut and the gut communicates messages of comfort, satiety, and sleep to the brain. This communication happens via the 100 million nerve cells located in the gut¹². Guess who helps the nerve cells to function properly? You guessed it – the gut microbiota.

Helps in modulation of mood

90% of the body’s serotonin – the chemical compound which helps in the modulation of your child’s mood, appetite, sleep, motility and transit – is secreted in the gut¹¹. The gut microbiota plays a central role in serotonin production. Adequate amount of serotonin means that the child sleeps well, has a healthy appetite and good digestion. This makes him feel well-fed and well-rested and therefore happier and more receptive to the stimuli around him.

Supports the development of his Natural Defences

70% of the body’s immune cells are located in the gut⁸. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in creating an effective immune status by helping crowd out bad bacteria and helping to manage allergies and intolerance^9,10.

Mission #1 Support brain and physical development
Mission #2 Modulate mood for day-to-day well-being
Mission #1 Support brain and physical development
Mission #1 Support brain and physical development
Mission #3 Help build natural defences against infections and manage allergies

It is clear that your child’s gut does more than just digestion. The presence of plenty of good bacteria in your child’s gut indicates a healthy gut which helps provide the building blocks to support the development of his brain and body, and influences his day-to-day learning activities and moods. Therefore, it is important for you to nurture the development of healthy gut microbiota in your child from the very beginning.

Sources

References:

¹ Grice EA, Segre JA. The human microbiome: our second genome. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet. 2012;13:151-70

² Bäckhed F, Ley RE, Sonnenburg JL, Peterson DA, Gordon JI. Host-bacterial mutualism in the human intestine. Science 2005;307:1915-1920

³ Bischoff S. Gut Health: A new objective in medicine? BMC Med. 2011; 9:24

⁴ Ziegler, E.E. and S.J. Carlson, Early nutrition of very low birth weight infants. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med, 2009. 22(3): p. 191-7

⁵ Kashyap, S., et al., Growth, nutrient retention, and metabolic response in low birth weight infants fed varying intakes of protein and energy. J Pediatr, 1988. 113(4): p. 713-21

⁶ Hurtado EK, Claussen AH, Scott KG. Early childhood anaemia and mild and moderate mental retardation. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 69:115-119

⁷ Kashyap, S., et al., Growth, nutrient retention, and metabolic response in low birth weight infants fed varying intakes of protein and energy. J Pediatr, 1988. 113(4): p 713-21

⁸ Furness JB, Kunze WA, Clerc N. Nutrient tasting and signalling mechanisms in the gut. II. The intestine as a sensory organ: neural, endocrine, and immune responses. AM J Physiol. 1999 Nov; 277 (5 Pt 1): G922-8

⁹ Wopereis H, Oozeer R, Knipping K, Belzer C, Knol J. The first thousand days – intestinal microbiology of early life: establishing a symbiosis. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2014 Aug;25(5):428-38.

¹⁰ Fiocchi A, Pawankar R, Cuello-Garcia C, etal. World Allergy Organization – McMaster University Guidelines for Allergic Disease Prevention (GLAD-P): Probiotics. World Allergy Organ J. 2015 Jan 27;8(1):4

¹¹ Baganz NL, Blakely RD. A dialogue between the immune system and brain, spoken in the language of Serotonin. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2013 Jan 16; 4(1):48-63

¹² Goyal RK, Hirano I. The enteric nervous system. N Engl J Med. 1996 April 25; 334(17):1106-15

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Mission #1 Support brain and physical development

For optimum growth and development, your child's brain and body need the right nutrients, in the right amounts and at the right stage of growth.

The gut performs the complicated task of digesting the food consumed into basic components and ensuring that key nutrients such as DHA and ARA to support brain development, and vitamins & minerals to support physical growth are absorbed properly and are ready to be used by the body.

Your child's tummy soldiers support this process further by breaking down certain complex food that his stomach and small intestines have difficulties to do so. They also help in the production of essential vitamins like Vitamin B and Vitamin K to assist in the critical blood clotting process.