World Digestive Health Day: Beneo highlights prebiotics for the microbiome from infancy onwards

29 May 2023 --- This year’s World Digestive Health Day focuses on how gut health develops inside the womb and the changing dietary needs of the gastrointestinal tract from birth through to infancy, childhood and adulthood. The World Gastroenterology Organisation has chosen ‘A Healthy Gut from the Start’ as its focus for this year’s campaign. 

“Nutrition in early life is crucial for the development of the infant and child and is recognized to have repercussions across the lifespan of the individual,” Anke Sentko, VP of regulatory affairs and nutrition communication at Beneo, tells NutritionInsight.

“Nutritional recommendations for healthy nutrition today go beyond to include the right amount of vitamins and minerals and energy to avoid malnutrition. New elements linked to microbiota composition and balance also need to be considered.”

She details that several vitamins and minerals such as folate, vitamins A, B12, B6, D, C, zinc, copper, iron and selenium play a role in supporting the biochemical pathways necessary for the immune response. 

“Bifidobacteria are influencing the gut environment, this specific ecosystem, and helping to protect against pathogens finding their way to influence health negatively. Bearing in mind that 70% of the inner defense system is located in the gut – nutrition is beneficial to the gut and its microbiome also supports the inner defense system.”

Vitamins A, B12, B6, D, C, zinc, copper, iron and selenium play a role in supporting the biochemical pathways necessary for the immune response.Key to long-term health
She details that research is available on clinically proven ingredients that can contribute to infant and children’s nutrition, which is key.

“Beneo’s Orafti prebiotic bioactive ingredients have a bifidogenic effect that selectively stimulates the Bifidobacteria in the large intestine to support the microbiota composition early on. In that way, it helps to program the immune system for overall health later in life. Undoubtedly, eating healthy matters in every life stage,” Sentko highlights.

She says that nutrition that benefits the gut and its microbiome is key to a person’s long-term health.

“Chicory root fibers – inulin and oligofructose – are plant-based prebiotics that have been scientifically proven to support a healthy microbiota, improve the gut environment to make life for pathogens more difficult, strengthen the gut barrier function and more. Over 15 human intervention studies with infants and small children demonstrate the bifidogenic effect.”

She details that many consumers want to address their digestive and immune health, noting that “it is important to realize that supporting a person’s inner defense begins in the womb.”

“The first months of life are a crucial period, as the gut is not mature when a baby is born, and immune system development is influenced by the food a baby consumes,” she adds.

The development of the gut microbiota and the immune system is ongoing during the first 24 months of life. Studies have shown that microbiota support can strengthen the immune system of nursery-aged children, she explains.

Preventing with bioticsSentko says that only breastmilk with naturally occurring human milk oligosaccharides work for microbiota support in infancy.
She further details that as prebiotics promote the development of good bacteria such as Bifidobacteria, they strengthen the inner defense system to help it fight pathogens. 

“As a building block to immune health, prebiotics are supplied during breastfeeding as it contains human milk oligosaccharides. If [infant] formula is provided, it should contain proven prebiotics, such as inulin and oligofructose or galactooligosaccharides, to ensure the selective growth of Bifidobacteria – the dominant species in breastfed babies.”

Even though starting early on is advised, “it’s never too late to support the inner defense system and improve gut health,” adds Sentko.

She suggests incorporating prebiotics into the diet, which is especially important as people age because the inner defense system weakens and the gut microbiome changes.

“The benefits nutrition can offer in terms of supporting gut health and helping strengthen the inner defense system is of increasing interest to older consumers.”

She further stresses that only breastmilk with naturally occurring human milk oligosaccharides work for microbiota support in infancy. 

“If breastfeeding is impossible, prebiotic enriched infant formula is the best choice to ensure microbiota support. Later in life, several fruits and vegetables contain inulin-type fructans in small amounts. However, it is indeed difficult to get to high levels of intake without the help of enriched foodstuff like chicory root fiber-enriched bread, cereals, yogurt or others.” 

“Therefore, why not use the new avenues of food technology and innovation created to increase prebiotic intake, as this increases consumer choices and satisfaction and addresses the nutritional needs at the same time,” Sentko concludes.

By Beatrice Wihlander