Does Yogurt Really Work For My Child Who Has Diarrhea?

This is a typical scenario in pediatric wards: A child is admitted for pneumonia and gets antibiotic therapy for a number of days. His condition improves. Right after about 3 to 4 days, he is discharged from the hospital and the mom is told to carry on giving oral antibiotic to his son until a 7-day course of antibiotic therapy is completed. Several days after discharge, the mom is compelled to have his son readmitted for a different reason. This time the little one is having diarrhea.

A lot of us would think that another bout of infection may have caused the kid's acute onset of diarrhea. But be evenhanded, this belief is not often true. Not another round of antibiotic can treat the diarrhea. Antibiotics can even worsen it.

The human gut is normally inhabited by several species of nonpathologic (nondisease-causing) bacteria that affords quite a few health benefits. The existence of these good bacteria (about 400 types) in the lining of intestines has protective capabilities and promotes a healthy digestive system. It minimizes the development and over proliferation of unsafe disease-causing bacteria like E.coli, Yersinia, and Helicobacter pylori in the intestines by increasing luminal acidity, secreting bactericidal protein, and inhibiting bacterial adhesion to the intestinal wall.

In many cases, when an antibiotic is given to destroy the dangerous bacteria that cause a certain illness like pneumonia, the good bacteria are additionally eradicated. Its population in the intestines is considerably reduced. This will then allow development and propagation of harmful bacteria, most commonly Clostridium difficile, that causes diarrhea. This kind of diarrhea is generally regarded as as antibiotic-induced diarrhea.

Nowadays, with the introduction of scientific technology, these excellent bacteria are cultured and produced available in the market. They are collectively called as "probiotics". Probiotics are especially prepared products containing viable, defined microorganisms in sufficient numbers. They come in the form of capsules, tablets, liquid, powder, or most of the time integrated into food products.

The most commonly known food products with live microorganisms are therapeutic yogurt preparations. Yogurts are more appetizing, thus well-tolerated by most patients, especially young kids. Yogurts include Lactobacillus acidophilus which is the largest population of probiotic bacteria in the human intestine.

Clinical studies have established dosages with therapeutic efficacy. For young children, the generally used dosage range from 5 to 10 billion colony-forming units per day. For adults, dosage range from 10 to 20 billion colony-forming units per day. These figures can differ though, based on the specific kind of microorganisms used. Species of microorganisms with widespread use and with most medical testing are Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium species, and Saccharomyces boulardii.

Based on a recent medical research data, use of probiotics reduces the risk of antibiotic-induced diarrhea by 52% and that the very best time to administer it is within 72 hours of starting antibiotic treatment.

In summary, giving probiotic supplements like yogurt to your child may help replace the loss of helpful bacteria, and thus help reduce the seriousness and duration of diarrhea. Even with no diarrhea, probiotics like yogurt can safely be given to children. They neither bring about allergic reactions nor cross react with other medications. In fact, they are also proven efficient in preventing occurrence of infectious diarrhea triggered by viruses and harmful opportunistic bacteria.


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