BeneficialBabyBacteria

At the end of a long and healthy pregnancy is a crucial event that prepares the
newborn for a healthy life in the real world. During birth, mothers inoculate their
newborns with various strains of bacteria that are essential to provide a
foundation for the future of the infant’s health. Today, technological and
pharmacological advances have made it difficult for newborns to be introduced
into this world the way that nature intended it. While doctors and hospitals
attempt to provide the most sterile and safe environment for both mother and
child, the health of the newborn may be adversely affected by such conditions.
Your infant may be inhibited from gaining the vital beneficial bacteria that occurs
naturally in your intestinal tract, vagina, mouth, and birth canal. Of the many
beneficial bacteria varieties that exist in your body, bifidobacteria are
considered the most prevalent and essential beneficial microorganisms to the
well being of infants, children and adults. This article will discuss the factors that
exist in today’s world that make supplementation of bifidobacteria crucial to your
infant’s health.

What are Bifidobacteria?

Bifidobacteria were first described and named by H. Tissier, a French scientist,
in 1899 and 1900. Bifid in Latin means "Y" shaped and amply describes the
shape Tissier saw. For the next 50 years one of the concerns the scientist had
was proving and substantiating the significance of the bifidobacteria in the
health of the newborn. It was determined that the numbers of bifidobacteria
were fewer in the stools of bottle-fed infants and that, when the infants were
weaned, bifidobacteria were found only in small numbers. Scientific interest in
this friendly microorganism grew as clinical evidence in Europe showed that
breast-fed infants were less susceptible to infections than bottle-fed babies.
This led to speculation that bifidobacteria in the large intestine might play a role
in the resistance to infection.

Continued investigation led to interest by microbiologists in the nature and
classification of this organism. Initially, it was erroneously classified as L. bifidus
and this led to confusion with Lactobacillus acidophilus, another important
friendly microorganism. However, since 1974, the scientific community has
recognized that bifidobacteria warrant their own genus classification. The
Bifidobacteria genus has 11 species; two of the most important species are
Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium infantis. While both play a major
role in human health, B. infantis is the only species of which all known strains
are infant specific. In other words, all strains of Bifidobacterium infantis occur
naturally as the most prominent beneficial bacteria in infants.

Where are they found?

Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are normal and resident inhabitants of the human
gut. Their occurrence in the intestinal tract occurs in different proportions.
Ninety nine percent of the cultivatable flora in the large intestine of breast fed
infants is bifidobacteria. Lactobacilli, enterococci and coliforms comprise about
one percent (range one to 15 percent) of the flora. Other microorganisms are
absent or insignificant.

Babies need Beneficial Bacteria

Nature meant all babies to be delivered normally. However, C-sections are a
blessing when they are needed and not abused. Normally delivered babies pass
through the birth canal and are bathed with the friendly, protective bacteria
such as Bifidobacteria infantis, Bifidobacteria bifidum, and Lactobacillus
acidophilus. These beneficial bacteria enter the baby’s intestines through the
mouth and feverishly attempt to set up attachment sites on the gastrointestinal
wall before other not-so-friendly microorganisms attempt to do the same as the
baby enters the real world.

Breast-feeding intensifies the presence of bifidobacteria naturally, thus
establishing a microflora comprised of 99% bifidobacteria in the large intestine
of a healthy baby nursed by a healthy mother. C-sectioned babies do not
receive a healthy portion of these friendly microorganisms. A recent study
states that newborns exposed to a highly sterilized environment at birth lack the
proper intestinal balance of the intestines for the prevention of disease and
allergies (Wold 1998). The overuse or misuse of antibiotics for infants can also
lead to an unhealthy condition of the intestines. Medical scientists found that
infants and children in underdeveloped countries have less cases of allergic
disease than children of developed countries.

While this fact seems odd, the difference correlates to the greater use of
antibiotics in developed countries, which disturbs the normal bowel flora of
infants (McCann). An unhealthy and unbalanced intestinal flora can manifest
itself in the form of allergies and asthma in children. Combining the factors of a
C-sectioned birth, feeding the infant cow’s milk rather than breast milk, and
overusing antibiotics, a baby has no source of receiving the normal healthy flora
that is crucial to optimal health.
In a study of intestinal flora in a rural area of Guatemala, out of 210 babies born
in a village, 109 were breast-fed. The breast-fed infants showed high
concentrations of bifidobacteria, nearly 100 percent of all bacteria cultured from
the breast-fed infants were bifidobacteria. Only four of the breast-fed babies
developed Shigella infection, which causes severe diarrhea. The rate of
infection for the non breast-fed babies was much higher (Mata 1969).

A double blind, randomized control study in Belgium gave 20 healthy infants a
formula supplemented with bifidobacteria during their first two months of life.
The results were compared to a standard infant formula as well as a control
group of fully breast-fed infants. The infants receiving the probiotic formula had
a prevalence of bifidobacteria colonization similar to the breast fed infants but
significantly higher than in the group fed the standard infant formula
(Langhendries 1995). This evidence shows the importance of supplementing
your infant’s formula with bifidobacteria because a standard commercial infant
formula is not an adequate replacement for breast-feeding.

Unfortunately, even mothers’ milk may no longer be counted on to nurture
adequate levels of Bifidobacterium infantis in an infant’s intestinal tract. Dr. J. Lj.
Rasic, the world’s leading researcher and authority on bifidobacteria, suggests
supplementing a baby’s diet with B. infantis on a daily basis. The regular
ingestion of a large number of viable B. infantis, e.g. one billion or more per
day, ensures a continued supply of these friendly bacteria to the intestinal tract.
By their "mass effect" and some metabolic activity, these bacteria help
indigenous organisms combat harmful bacteria and pathogens.

Why breast feeding is not enough

Breast-feeding is significantly better than formula; however, certain factors in
our polluted environment make breast-feeding alone insufficient for the optimal
health of the infant.

In a German scientific paper, it was shown that in the twenty-year period, 1957
to 1977, the number of bifidobacteria has declined in breast-fed infants (Grutte
1980). Certain strains have disappeared altogether. However, the presence of
E. coli bacteria has increased along with pathogens, or disease-causing
bacteria, such as Klebsiella. Researchers have found strains of E. coli that are
resistant to potent and regularly used antibiotics such as neomycin and
ceftazidime.

Similarly, at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, it was found
that of 61 breast-fed infants, only 20 percent had significant numbers of
bifidobacteria (Poupard 1973). A similar study was conducted at a suburban
hospital; two thirds of the 21 breast-fed babies had significant numbers of
bifidobacteria. An explanation has not been found, although some unidentified
environmental factor is probably responsible for the difference.

A study conducted by the University of Nebraska collected fresh mother's milk in
sterile containers for research. It was discovered that the milk was infected with
salmonella, which causes intestinal cramping, among other things.
Streptococcus and herpes virus were also present. Therefore, the
unprecedented and extreme measure of pasteurizing mother's milk donated to
banks was recommended in order to prevent the spread of infection through the
milk banks (Agel 1982).

Changes in the level of bifidobacteria present can be a direct consequence of
increasing contamination of the environment including air, water, foods,
radioactive substances, antibiotics, pesticides, toxic minerals and
undocumented phenomena. Your baby needs Bifidobacteria infantis
supplementation on a daily basis as an optimal "health insurance policy."
Undoubtedly, the importance of breast-feeding should not be diminished.
However, the conditions of modern times warrant the need for properly
supplementing your infant’s diet.

Protecting your infant and yourself

On a daily basis, your newborn is faced with exciting new challenges in the real
world. Unfortunately, there are also many not-so-exciting challenges that mother
and child must deal with such as infectious disease. Children acquire disease as
a natural process and physicians agree that being exposed to various illnesses
as a child helps build the immune system. However, preventative measures are
extremely important for most illnesses, which means proper protection is
necessary for mother and child.
Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of acute diarrhea in infants. In
this condition, the child’s intestinal walls are damaged and the protective
function of the intestinal microflora is weakened. By the age of three, nearly all
children have at least one bout of this virus that causes diarrhea, vomiting and
mild fever. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, up to 50,000
children and adults are hospitalized due to rotavirus each year.

In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine for
rotavirus. Only months later, the CDC warned against giving the vaccine to
children due to cases of unforeseen bowel complications. As a result, the
manufacturer of the rotavirus vaccine withdrew its product after being on the
market for only one year. It became the first vaccine recommended for routine
use in children to ever be withdrawn from the prescription drug market. This
incidence is one of many to show that parents must be more educated and
involved in what is given or prescribed to their children. As researchers,
physicians, and parents are all trying to find an effective method for treating
rotavirus infection, probiotics are becoming a prominent option.

A recent study at Johns Hopkins University was conducted with 55 infants to
treat acute diarrhea. In this double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, infants
aged 5 to 24 months were fed either a supplemented formula containing
bifidobacteria or a control formula. The results revealed that the occurrence of
developing acute diarrhea was significantly lower in the infants receiving the
supplemented formula compared to the infants receiving the control formula. Of
the 26 patients receiving the control formula, 31% developed diarrhea. In
contrast, only 7% of the 29 patients receiving the supplemented formula
developed diarrhea. Furthermore, the probiotic-supplemented formula reduced
the rate of rotavirus-associated diarrhea as well as decreasing rotavirus
shedding (Saavedra 2000).

Another study in Thailand enrolled 175 children to determine prevention
strategies of diarrheal disease in children less than 5 years of age. Infants aged
6 to 36 months were randomized into groups receiving either a milk-based
formula or the same formula supplemented with bifidobacteria. In the control
group receiving the milk-based formula, 30.4% of the infants had at least a 4-
fold increase in antibody titer, which indicates a subclinical rotavirus infection.
The antibody titers of the bifidobacteria-supplemented formula did not change
significantly. The conclusion of this study supported the hypothesis that
supplementing infant formula with bifidobacteria may help protect against
rotavirus infection (Pornimpon 1999).

Clinical studies such as these are paving the way for much more research to
come. The consensus of doctors and researchers in the probiotics field is that
infants, children and adults can all benefit greatly from probiotic
supplementation. Infant specific Bifidobacteria infantis is a very important part of
daily food supplementation not only for infants, but children up to age 7 and
pregnant and nursing women. It is especially needed for formula-fed infants and
children, as well mothers not in optimal health or exposed to unhealthy
environments. There are numerous factors in giving your infant, child or
yourself bifidobacteria supplementation, and doing so will ensure numerous
benefits:

• Inhibits colonization of the intestine by invading disease-causing bacteria by
fiercely competing for nutrients and attachment sites on the surface of the
intestinal tract
• Produces acetic acid which inhibits the growth of Candida albicans (yeast
infections) in the intestine
• Produces natural antibiotic substances which inhibit the growth of pathogens
• Encourages better weight gain through nitrogen retention, especially important
for formula-fed infants
• Plays a protective role against Infections
• Provides a source of antigens which may induce the formation of antibodies -
the body’s immune army response to invasion of undesirable viruses and
bacteria
• Assists in the absorption of calcium and other vitamins and minerals
• Plays a protective role from side effects of oral antibiotic therapy
• Helps to produce lactase - an enzyme necessary to break down milk sugar
(lactose)
• Helps to rid the body of toxins
• Prevents predisposition to allergies
• Helps to introduce friendly microorganisms after x-rays that destroy friendly
flora

Bibliography

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of Food Protection, 45, 6, 533-536, 1982.

Grutte, F. K. and W. Muller-Beuthow. "Instability of the Normal Intestinal Flora in
Human Infants." Human Gastrointestinal Microflora, 39-44, 1980.

Isolauri, E. "The Use of Probiotics in Pediatrics." Hospital Medicine, 61, 1, 6-7,
2000.

Langhendries, J.P. et al. "Effect of fermented infant formula containing viable
bifidobacteria on the fecal flora composition and pH of healthy full-term infants."
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McCann, M.L. "Can Probiotics Prevent Allergic Disease Like Eczema and
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Majaama, H. and E. Isolauri. "Probiotics: A Novel Approach in the Management
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Mata, L.J. et al. "Shigella Infection in Breast-Fed Guatemalan Indian Neonates."
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Pornimpon, P. et al. "Reduction of Rotavirus Infection in Children Receiving
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1999.

Poupard, J.A. et al. "Biology of the Bifidobacteria." Bacteriological Reviews, 37,
2, 136-165, 1973.

Rasic, J.L. "Bifidobacteria and diarrhea control in infants and young children."
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Rasic, J.L. "Occurrence of B. infantis and B. bifidum in the gut of infants and
adults." Letter of correspondence, 1988.

Rasic, J.L. and J.A. Kurmann. Bifidobacteria and Their Role, Boston: Birkhauser
Verlag, 1983.

Saavedra, J. "Probiotics and Infectious Diarrhea." The American Journal of
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Saavedra J et al. "Feeding of Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Streptococcus
thermophilus to infants in hospital prevention of diarrhea, and shedding of
rotavirus." Lancet, 344, 1046-9, 1994.

Wold, A.E. "The Hygiene Hypothesis Revised: Is the Rising Frequency of Allergy
Due to Changes in the Intestinal Flora?" Allergy, 53, Suppl. 46, 20-25, 1998.