Good health starts early

CHILDREN should develop a healthy lifestyle from young. In this aspect, parents are a major influence as they provide the social and physical environments in which their children are nurtured.

Healthy eating

To get the necessary nutrients, children need a varied diet that includes cereals, fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, legumes and dairy products.

Physical activity

The Malaysia Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents recommends being physically active every day in as many ways as possible

Getting enough sleep

A child needs 10 to 12 hours of sleep a day. During the deep sleep state, energy is restored and tissue growth and repair occur.

Lack of sleep raises the risk of excessive weight gain It is also often linked to irritability, and problems with concentration, judgment and memory

Healthy gut

The gastrointestinal (GI) system is a site for nutrient absorption as it harbours a rich flora of bacterial species that stimulate the immune system and aid digestion.

To maintain the GI system’s delicate microflora, probiotics is required. The FAO/WHO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation/World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”

Probiotics are effective in varied clinical conditions, including infantile diarrhoea, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, helicobacter pylori infections and irritable bowel syndrome

The most commonly used bacteria in probiotic preparations are lactobacillus and bifidobacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 increases body immunity and lactose digestion, and reduces lactose intolerance

Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 increases stool frequency and promotes bowel movement

References

Liu, J., Zhang, A., & Li, L. (2012). Sleep duration and overweight/obesity in children: review and implications for pediatric nursing. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 17(3), 193-204.

Oginska, H., & Pokorski, J. (2006). Fatigue and mood correlates with sleep length in three age and social groups: School children, students and employees. Chronobiology international, 23(6), 1317-1328.

Ministry of Health Malaysia. Malaysian Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents. Malaysia: National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition, 2014. (Retrieved from http://nutrition.moh.gov.my/ wp-content/uploads/penerbitan/ buku/MDG_Children_adolescent_2014.pdf, 27 April 2017).

Hill, C., Guarner, F., Reid, G., Gibson, G. R., Merenstein, D. J., Pot, B., ... & Calder, P. C. (2014). Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus statement on the scope and appropriate use of the term probiotic. Nature reviews Gastroenterology & hepatology, 11(8), 506-514.

Gupta, V., & Garg, R. (2009). Probiotics. Indian journal of medical microbiology, 27(3), 202.

Guarner, F., Khan, A. G., & Garisch, J. Probiotics and prebiotics. World Gastroenterology Organization Global Guidelines. 2011.

Lee, Y. K., & Salminen, S. (2009). Handbook of probiotics and prebiotics. John Wiley & Sons.

Uchida, K., Akashi, K., Kusunoki, I., Ikeda, T., Katano, N., Motoshima, H., & Benno, Y. (2005). Effect of fermented milk containing Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12® on stool frequency, defecation, fecal microbiota and safety of excessive ingestion in healthy female students. J Nutr Food, 8, 39-51.

This information is brought to you by BiO-LiFE Marketing Sdn Bhd.

■ For enquiries, call BiO-LiFE customer care (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) at 03-7882 8888.