Bolstering Back to School Good Bugs: Here’s Why Kids Need Probiotics
There is a lot of planning that goes into getting kids and young adults ready for school. There are school supplies and clothes to buy, routines to resume and classes to prepare for. All of this activity can sometimes require additional health support as well. This is where probiotics come in.
Why do kids need ? There is a significant amount of science presently available confirming that probiotics can help support the body on many levels. And many of those studies have been done with kids. Much of the research has focused on digestive support but there is also positive evidence regarding immune system support. In addition, researchers are now discovering a direct link between gut health and brain health as well. In fact, in the scientific literature, this gut-brain-probiotic connection is referred to as “psychobiotics.”
When kids go back to school, there can be an increased need for , digestive, and mental health support. Because many of the good bacteria that reside in the gut are transient, continual replenishment is important. And that’s where a high-quality can become critical, especially for kids going back to school. Many manufacturers also combine prebiotics with probiotics for added efficacy. The research regarding the many health benefits of prebiotics has expanded considerably over the past decade.
When choosing a probiotic supplement, consider these questions:
- Have at least one or more of the strains in the formulation been validated by scientific research?
- Does the formulation contain multiple strains?
- Does the manufacturer have a solid industry reputation for producing high-quality probiotics?
- What quality standards are used in the manufacturing process?
- Is the potency or colony forming units (CFUs) appropriate for the application and the age of the patient?
- How long will the CFUs retain their viability?
Choosing the right probiotic supplement(s) for your pediatric and even young adult patients can be tricky. But it’s worth the time and effort to find a probiotic formulation that you are comfortable with. Patients heading back to school this year will appreciate the .