Are Probiotics Really Good For Kids?

How to get started with children’s probiotics, specific bacterial strains, and safety considerations

It’s pretty overwhelming to look through kids’ probiotics these days. Supplement labels often have unfamiliar bacteria names. Some list the amounts of their bacterial strains; others don’t. Then, products often don’t say what to expect in terms of benefits, and if they do, it’s still hard to trust that kind of marketing.

Given what we currently know from scientific research, probiotics could very well be beneficial to children. In this article, we’ll give you some guidance on children’s gut bacteria, how probiotics might help, and how to go about choosing a supplement that works for your child.

For more information about the quality and safety of best-selling probiotics for children, visit Labdoor’s full lab test results here.

Why Probiotics are Important for Kids

You’ve probably already heard about the microbiome — the collection of helpful bacteria living on and inside your body — and how it’s involved in keeping your digestive system running smoothly. Just like how we’re now learning that the microbiome affects more than just digestion in adults, the situation for children is also quite complex.

Microbiomes start developing in children while they’re still in the womb and mature through infancy and early childhood. Not only do gut bacteria help in absorbing foods and making vitamins, they promote a healthy immune defense system and help support the developing brain. In fact, researchers are now studying links between gut bacteria and a variety of health conditions, including allergies, asthma, Type I diabetes, autism spectrum disorders, and mood disorders.

Benefits of Probiotics for Children

Research clearly shows that a healthy microbiome is crucial to a child’s development, but we still don’t know how to really optimize it overall. Everyone’s microbiome is unique, like a fingerprint, and probiotics are not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Fortunately, we live in a time where it might be possible to choose certain strains of probiotic bacteria to help specific health conditions. We’ve reviewed some of the qualified research and summarized our findings in the list below. Each strain is followed by a general recommendation for daily dosing as reported in research cited below under “Sources”. Length of dosing should be guided by your pediatrician.

Important: Please use this list as a simple starting point as the list may not be complete and your child’s health is very personal. Also, some strains on the market are still waiting to be tested and new research is always being published. We strongly recommend that you consult your child’s pediatrician before and during any supplement use, and that you do not take supplements in place of prescriptive recommendations from a licensed health professional.

• Acute gastroenteritis: L. rhamnosus GG (10 million CFUs) or L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs)
• Antibiotic-associated diarrhea: L.reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs), L. rhamnosus GG (5–10 billion CFUs), Saccharomyces boulardii Iyo CNCM I-745 (5 billion CFUs)
• Childhood eczema/atopic dermatitis: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs) or L. rhamnosus GG (5 billion CFUs)
• Colic: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs)
• Common infectious disease — community acquired: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs), L. acidophilus (~5 billion CFUs), or B. lactis BB-12 (1 billion CFUs)
• Constipation: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs)
• Diarrhea caused by common stomach viruses: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs), L. rhamnosus GG (5 billion CFUs), Saccharomyces boulardii Iyo CNCM I-745 (5 billion CFUs), or B. lactis BB-12 (1 billion CFUs)
• Functional abdominal pain: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs) or L. rhamnosus GG (5 billion CFUs)
• Helicobacter pylori — adjunct to standard eradication therapy: Saccharomyces boulardii Iyo CNCM I-745 (5 billion CFUs)
• Irritable bowel syndrome: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs) or L. rhamnosus GG (5 billion CFUs)
• Nosocomial infections: L. rhamnosus GG (5–10 billion CFUs)
• Oral health (tonsillitis, laryngitis, and dental cavities): Streptococcus salivarius K12 (1 billion CFUs)
• Regurgitation: L. reuteri DSM 17938 (100 million CFUs)

But Are Probiotics Even Safe for Kids?

Probiotics are generally considered safe for children, so you can feel comfortable giving them to most kids, but this comes with caveats:

1. Too high of a dose can cause stomach upset, depending on how sensitive your child is. If your child experiences an upset stomach, try spreading out your doses or choosing a product with a lower serving size. Probiotics are generally recommended to be taken about half an hour before a meal.
2. Probiotics should NOT be given to children who have underlying health problems, especially immunodeficiencies, as probiotics can cause serious, life-threatening issues if your child has a weakened immune system.
3. Probiotic safety and efficacy are not well-regulated by the FDA. We found in our testing that products can have seriously inaccurate labels — one product had virtually none of the bacteria it claimed while another had more than 7 times its total claim. Make sure to check Labdoor before buying any supplement for your child. If the product claims a “proprietary blend” of strains, you’ll be able to find in our test results exactly how much of each strain the product has and determine whether it’s enough to be effective.

Again, if you’re considering giving your child probiotic supplements, remember to talk to your child’s pediatrician first, don’t forget to check Labdoor’s full test results on best-selling children’s probiotics, and keep up with the latest research by following us on Medium here.

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Sources

• AEP. (2016). Clinical Guide to Probiotic Products — Available in the U.S.: 2017 Edition.
• AEP. (2016). Clinical Guide to Probiotic Products — Available in Canada: 2017 Edition.
• FAO and WHO. (2002). Guidelines for the Evaluation of Probiotics in Food.
• Sanders ME, et al. (2010). Safety assessment of probiotics for human use. Gut Microbes. 1(3):164–185.
• The Cleveland Clinic Children’s Health Team. (2016). How Your Child Can Benefit From Probiotics. Health Essentials.
• WGO. (2017). World Gastroenterology Organisation Global Guidelines — Probiotics and Prebiotics.