Be wise – back to school with Probiotics

Returning to the classroom or daycare involves the resumption of an academic, food, sleep routine and presents its share of butterflies … and of bacteria in the belly! Contacts between pupils at school and children at the daycare service as well as the germs in these environments can seriously test the immune system of our young ones. Starting probiotic supplementation about a week before going back to school and kindergarten is a wise idea, to prepare the bacterial flora of your little geniuses and give a boost to their immune system to prevent unwanted infections. You can never be too prepared, it seems!

Digestive peace on the agenda

Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria have a well established reputation. Anti-diarrhea properties have been attributed to them, they are also celebrated for their effectiveness in the prevention of eczema in young people. Knowing this, probiotics like Probaclac Children are an interesting route to explore for the back to school period¹. The Canadian pediatric society claims probiotics could help reduce childhood respiratory illnesses, antibiotic use and absences from child care due to illness¹.

Concentration for the curriculum

In addition to offering this “natural” remedy for diarrhea, probiotics also appear to be useful in reducing psychological stress during anxiety-provoking situations (the month of September for young people very well may be)². The bacterial strain Bifidobacterium longum, in particular, provides benefits in case of stress and cognitive performance, at least in tests performed on mice³. There is even reason to believe that probiotics influence memory, mood and cognitive processes of any kind⁴. Who doesn’t want to give our little scientists every possible chance of success?

1 Société canadienne de pédiatrie [Document de principes]. L’utilisation de probiotiques au sein de la population pédiatrique. 28 février 2015.

² Kali A. Psychobiotics: An emerging probiotic in psychiatric practice. Biomed J. 2016 Jun; 39(3): 223-4.

³ Savignac HM, Kiely B et al. Bifidobacteria exert strain-specific effects on stress-related behavior and physiology in BALB/c mice. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Nov; 26(11): 1615-27.

⁴ Galland L. The gut microbiome and the brain. J Med Food. 2014 Dec; 17(12): 1261-72.

⁵ Borre YE, Moloney RD, Clarke G et al. The impact of microbiota on brain and behavior: mechanisms & therapeutic potential. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014; 817: 373-403.