Healthy gut flora is increasingly linked to better allergy resistance in children. So, is our over-refined Western diet partly to blame for the rise of allergies in our societies?
By inhibiting the colonisation of pathogens, the gut microflora plays an important role in human health. It also has the following functions:
Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are bacteria considered especially beneficial to health, while Staphylococci and Clostridia are examples of bacteria that may potentially cause infection.
Research has shown that there is a reduced variety of bacteria in the stools of infants with atopic eczema during the first 18 months of life.
By contrast, supplementing with prebiotics and probiotics may reduce the incidence of such allergies in young children.
In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, infants in Milan were given prebiotic-supplemented formula until six months of age and were then followed up until two years. These infants had significantly lower incidences of atopic dermatitis, wheezing, urticaria and upper respiratory tract infections compared to the placebo group.
At birth, the gastrointestinal tract of a newborn infant is sterile. Bacteria are transferred in the mother’s birth canal and start to appear in the infant’s faeces within hours of being born. An adult-type pattern of stable indigenous gut microflora is established during the first years of life.
Because of the process of bacterial colonisation at birth, vaginally born infants have been found to have a higher population of beneficial Bifidobacteria. By contrast, infants born via caesarean section have been shown to have a lower count of Bifidobacteria.
A healthy variety of intestinal flora is best achieved by eating a whole food diet rich in prebiotics and probiotics. If problems persist, supplement with the variety of good products that are readily available.
Prebiotics – These are non-digestible foods that make their way through our digestive system and help good bacteria grow and flourish. Food examples include high-fibre foods such as barley, whole grains, berries, dairy products, artichokes, onions, flaxseed and legumes.
Probiotics – These are micro-organisms beneficial to digestive health. They are found in foods such as yoghurt, cheeses, marinated olives, capers, pickles and sauerkraut. A trial has found that probiotic supplementation during the final weeks of pregnancy and the first six months of life helped protect against atopic inflammation in one-year-old and four-year-old children.
References available on request