Table of contents:
- Understand the relationship between the digestive system and children's health as a whole
- A healthy digestive system supports the absorption of children's nutrients
- The health of the digestive system supports the child's immune system
- How to maintain a child's gut microbiota
Did you know that most children's health is influenced by a healthy digestive system? Maintaining the health of the digestive system is greatly influenced by the role of balanced bacteria in the intestine. The balance can be maintained with nutritious food intake. Furthermore, let's know the role of bacteria in the intestines for digestion and their effect on the overall health of the child.
Understand the relationship between the digestive system and children's health as a whole
Digestive health has an important role in the overall health of children. Citing one of the studies in the journal Clinical & Experimental Immunology , the digestive system plays a role of 70 percent in the health of the human body as a whole.
The intestine is one of the organs in the body that has an important function in maintaining a healthy digestive system. In the intestine there are microorganisms that form and maintain a healthy intestinal environment. Microorganisms are a collection of bacteria, viruses, archaea (single cell organisms that cooperate with good bacteria in breaking down food), and eukaryotes (stem cells). This collection of microorganisms is called the gut microbiota. The composition of these microorganisms needs to be kept in balance.
If the balance of the intestinal microbiota is not maintained, it is likely that the digestive system can experience disturbances, which also inhibits the absorption of children's nutrition and causes stomach pain as a symptom.
In addition, the increase and balance of the gut microbiota is also determined from the solid food it gets, to its nutritional selection. This microbiota will gradually support the formation of resistance or immunity of children.
A healthy digestive system supports the absorption of children's nutrients
Then how does this microbiota work on the child's immune system? Mechanically, the microbiota produces short chain fatty acids. These short-chain fatty acids are the result of fermentation of good bacteria in the large intestine from children's diets, especially fibrous and starchy foods (starch).
These short chain fatty acids play an important role in supporting nutrient absorption and work neurotransmitters in the child's body. Let's examine how short chain fatty acids contribute to nutrient absorption.
Short-chain fatty acids can lower the pH in the intestine, thereby inhibiting the development of pathogenic bacteria that prevent optimal nutrient absorption. With this mechanism, the intestine is able to increase the absorption of children's nutrients. Thus, the composition of the intact gut microbiota will definitely optimize the absorption of children's nutrients.
In its further role, short chain fatty acids are able to increase the body's metabolism from the absorption of children's nutrients. Metabolism is the body's mechanism for digesting and absorbing food, thus producing energy in the body.
This metabolic process is able to improve the health of the child's body, especially in preventing the risk of obesity. This is motivated by short chain fatty acids (in particular butyrate and propionate as a product of short chain fatty acids) which can stimulate the production of hormones in the intestines to regulate the child's appetite and prevent them from overeating.
The health of the digestive system supports the child's immune system
Previously it was said that the short-chain fatty acids produced by the intestinal microbiota in the fermentation process were beneficial as neurotransmitters . Neurotransmitters is a "communication tool" in the nervous system that connects the gut microbiota with the brain in the task of regulating the body's immune system.
A balanced intestinal microbiota can support the work of immune cells in fighting pathogenic bacteria that cause disease. This microbiota is also able to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria so as not to affect the health of the digestive system.
The microbiota in the child's digestive system helps increase the work of immune cells in maintaining the child's immune system. These immune cells play a role in identifying enemies in the body, such as pathogenic bacteria. The immune system and microbiota work together to fight bad bacteria.
Through neurotransmitters , the gut microbiota communicates with the brain to trigger immune work in suppressing the development of pathogenic bacteria. That way, the microbiota can activate the immunomodulating mechanism in the immune system. Immunomodulation is a form of body defense to react against inflammation.
Here, the microbiota communicates with immune cells to stimulate the work of T cells (part of the white blood cells as an immune mechanism) to produce cytokine proteins that work to reduce inflammation caused by pathogenic bacteria that enter the body.
Apart from that, intestinal microorganisms also consist of good bacteria which play a major role in caring for the intestinal microbiota. These good bacteria usually live together (colonically) in the intestinal wall. Good bacteria trigger the work of white blood cells in the intestine, especially in fighting inflammation or inflammation due to infection. It works in the digestive tract and triggers repair of damaged cell tissue.
If the balance of the microbiota is not maintained, this creates a risk for the absorption of nutrients in children. Microbiota imbalance can provide opportunities for pathogenic bacteria to infect the body, because the immune system is not maintained. Pathogens that infect the digestive system can interfere with the absorption of nutrients in the child's body. If this condition is not treated immediately, in the future, the child may experience malnutrition.
The balance of the intestinal microbiota has a continuous effect between increasing the absorption of nutrients in children, supporting metabolism, and enhancing the immune system. Therefore, it is important to maintain the digestive system with prebiotic intake.
How to maintain a child's gut microbiota
Now you know how important it is to maintain the microbiota to support the health of the child's digestive system and body as a whole. Now, you need to help your little one take care of their digestive system, with a rich intake of prebiotics. Prebiotics are substances that the intestine does not digest. It works by stimulating the growth of the gut microbiota, to promote the development of good bacteria in the gut.
In their function of keeping the good bacteria in the intestine, prebiotics help spoil or ferment food in the large intestine. This method supports the growth of bacteria in the intestine, and suppresses the growth of bad bacteria, such as E. coli and C. difficile , which can interfere with the digestive system. The results of this fermentation also support the production of short chain fatty acids that help metabolize and absorb nutrients in the child's body.
Foods containing prebiotics are easy to find everyday. Mothers can provide a series of foods below to improve the health of the child's digestive system.
- Vegetables: cabbage, corn, asparagus, peas, garlic
- Grains: kidney beans, soybeans (including tempeh and tofu)
- Fruits: peaches, rambutan, melons, pomegranates, dates, grapefruit
- Cereal or bread: white bread, wheat, pasta
In addition to the foods above, also provide milk with prebiotics and probiotics which can help improve the health of the child's digestive system. Prebiotics will work synergistically in increasing the work of the body's immune system.
Not only prebiotics and probiotics, the whey protein content in children's milk can improve immunomodulating functions in dealing with disease infections and maintaining body immunity. That way, children are able to get additional nutritional intake, as well as optimal absorption of nutrients because their intestinal microbiota is maintained and their immune system. can work fine.
Ma'am, because the role of a child's digestive system is so complex that it can have an impact on their overall health, always pay attention to the best food intake to maintain the health of their intestines. May your little one always be healthy.
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