Probiotics, Prebiotics and Children's Intestinal Health

A lot of researches have verified the protection effect of probiotics, prebiotics and their mixed preparation for the intestinal health of children. Probiotics promote absorption and protect alimentary canal of organism; prebiotics stimulate the growth of useful flora and have maintaining effect for the balance of intestinal flora. Nowadays, probiotics and prebiotics have become a functional substance to promote intestinal health and remedy intestines disease for children. The inner wall of intestines is the largest area which human body connects external environment. The research shows that fetus grows and develops in the aseptic environment of maternal womb. After birth, the infant will contact the maternalmicrobiota. Consequently, the newborn child will obtain intestinal flora within several hours after birth. Different infants have different intestinal flora when birth. In the second day after birth, bacteroides bacteria, bifidobacterium and clostridium have appeared in a half of infants. From the fourth to fifth day, the quantity of enteric bacilli is decreased gradually. From the sixth to eighth day, the flora taking bifidobacterium as leading role has been established. But in the last stage of suckling period, it will be translated to the system similar to intestinal flora of adult human. All kinds of bacteria carried by human body have an inseparable relationship with the nutrition, digestive absorption, immunity and other functions of body itself [1].