Back to School: Supporting Children’s Gut and Immune Health
A+ Ingredients for Kids’ Supplements and How to Keep Them Healthy All School Year Long
Back-to-school season is here, and with it comes new routines, fresh school supplies, and a greater risk of exposure to germs.
As kids return to classrooms, it’s more important than ever to support their immune systems and overall wellness. To help your child stay healthy throughout the school year, consider these six essential supplements that can give their immune system a strong foundation.
We’ll also cover expert guidelines on sleep and exercise, as well as explore how a healthy gut plays a crucial role in supporting your child’s immunity.
Let’s set them up for a healthy, successful year, starting with the basics of immune support.
Gut Health & Immunity
You may already know that the gut microbiome is filled with various types of bacteria, fungi, and other indiscreet microscopic organisms, some good and some bad. But did you know that different microbiomes live in different areas of the body like the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and skin (source)?
An article in Gut Microbiome (Cambridge, England) reviewed and curated an amalgamated list of current pediatric research across several databases to discover key lessons in children’s microbiomes and how they influence health, behavior, and neurodevelopment.
Here are three powerful takeaways from years of research and scientific studies.
Fewer Microbes Impact Immune System Functioning
Children are being introduced to fewer microbes than ever in the first years of life, having a direct impact on their immune systems, which evolve around, and rely upon, microbial diversity to function effectively (source).
This decrease in microbial exposure has occurred for several reasons, including:
• Urbanization
• Highly sanitized environments
• Fewer animal interactions
• Antibiotic overuse
• Processed foods high in saturated fat and refined sugar
• Less exposure to beneficial bacteria/harmless substances that occur naturally in soil, unprocessed foods, and pollen
• C-section birth and formula feeding
• And more….
Source: Gut Microbiome (Cambridge, England)
Just like your children learn how to read and do math in school, the immune system receives its education from the environment, specifically the microbes it encounters in infancy and the first 2-3 years of life.
These teach the immune system how to regulate T cells, maintain the gut barrier, and control inflammation. If the immune system is not educated sufficiently, it can become overstimulated (or even under-stimulated in some cases), resulting in autoimmune disorders and allergies, such as asthma, eczema, food allergies, and Crohn’s disease (source).
It is important to underscore the authors’ note that the increase in immune disorders could not be attributed to genetics, rather they were largely affected by environmental and lifestyle changes that have contributed to gut dysbiosis (i.e. imbalance) and immune dysregulation.
This sets the scene for far more than immune system dysfunction; it also lays the groundwork for neurodevelopment disorders (NDDs).
Gut Microbiota Influence Neurodivergence
An article by Stanford Medicine Children’s Health confirms that children’s gut health is of utmost importance as it impacts mental health (i.e. anxiety and depression), heart disease risk, and not only how the brain works, but also a child’s ability to focus.
This is explained by “the microbiota–gut–brain axis, an intricate communication network between the gut microbiota, the gastrointestinal tract, and the brain, [which] is thought to be a conduit of bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and the brain” (source).
The gut impacts cerebral responses, as “the immune pathway allows immune cells and signaling molecules to affect the brain function” (source).
Because the gut and the brain are connected by a superhighway called the vagus nerve, microbes in the gut can actually regulate neurotransmitters, brain inflammation, behavior, and cognition. Conversely, a disrupted microbiome can dysregulate the entire system.
The loss of beneficial microbes in modern environments can disrupt immune and brain development in children, especially those with neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities. This microbial imbalance may:
• Promote inflammation
• Disrupt gut-brain signaling
• Aggravate behavioral symptoms
But there’s more: “Emerging pediatric research has documented disruptions to the gut microbiome across a range of chronic health conditions, including asthma…ASD…ADHD…and cystic fibrosis” (source).
Interestingly, research has shown that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have lower microbial diversity, an overgrowth of harmful microbiomes like Clostridia and Desulfovibrio, and reduced levels of beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria.
This imbalance may lead to problematic behavior and irritability. But there’s hope that by altering the gut microbiome through the use of probiotics or FMT (fecal matter transplants), it may lead to improvements for children experiencing ASD symptoms (source and source).
How to Help
If your child is experiencing neurodevelopment disorders (NDDs), such as ASD, ADHD, or sensory-processing issues, consider the following suggestions from peer-reviewed pediatric literature to restore gut balance with beneficial microbes:
• Probiotics — See below for specific strains to check out.
• Prebiotics — See below for more information.
• Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) — Early studies show promise in gastrointestinal symptoms and core ASD behaviors.
• Lifestyle changes — Limit antibiotic exposure, and increase contact with animals and the natural environment.
• Dietary changes — Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber, and whole foods.
Source: Gut Microbiome (Cambridge, England)
Gut Diversity is Affected By Diet
Have you ever wondered if the battle to get your kids to eat healthy food is really worth it? Here’s your sign!
“A growing body of evidence demonstrates that diet quality may be a modifiable risk factor for mental disorders,” reassures the comprehensive pediatric research on children’s gut microbiome composition and its relation to NDDs (source).
The authors assert that diet-mental health association is so heavily influenced by the gut microbiome that a “loss of beneficial microbes in the gastrointestinal tract, the emergence of pathobionts (bacteria that cause disease only sporadically), and gut microbiome dysbiosis” can directly alter the severity of the complication or disorder (source).
It is recommended for children to eat a variety of whole foods, particularly focusing on different types of fiber and reducing over-processed foods for a healthy gut microbiome that protects your child from disease and other ailments.
Some suggestions of naturally healthy, and in some cases naturally probiotic-rich foods include:
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Beans
• Whole grains
• Nuts
• Yogurt
Source: Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
Much of the above list, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fermented foods, are actually classified as prebiotics, which feed good bacteria, helping them to grow and thrive to support overall health, starting at the gut.
In fact, pediatrician Katya Gerwein, MD of Standford Medicine Children’s Health advises prioritizing nutritious, gut-balancing foods over probiotic supplements, when possible. She suggests swapping out and rotating through a variety of breads that include various seeds and grains as well as adding a fruit or vegetable to each meal.
She also encourages, “Never underestimate the power of precut and prechopped fruits and vegetables” (source).
Spectacular Supplements for Superstar Students
Supplements can be beneficial for kids even when they are not sick and do not have a health condition. Many people (kids included) do not have all of the nutrients they need, mostly because of the high amounts of processed foods eaten every day.
When supplementation is necessary to make up a nutritional or microbial deficiency, look for these key ingredients in probiotics, multivitamins, and single-ingredient formulas.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG
L. rhamnosus GG is a probiotic that is extremely useful for kids and can support the gut in times when rotavirus is present as it boosts the immune system (source). This probiotic is also especially useful at limiting the effects and duration of diarrhea.
It is usually suggested to take probiotics first thing in the morning when they have the highest likelihood of surviving the stomach acid and making it to their intended location: the intestines. Since L. rhamnosus GG can be taken with or without food, it can conveniently be consumed with breakfast (source).
Pro Tip: Make your own probiotic popsicles! Just mix the powder from your favorite children’s probiotics into your popsicle liquid immediately before freezing. This not only gets the beneficial bacteria into your child in a fun way, but it also extends the life of the probiotic when frozen.
Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04
B. lactis Bl-04 is a probiotic that can support immunity and lower reactiveness to seasonal allergies and viruses in kids (source). It has several other uses, which include calming excessive crying in infants and supporting the gut.
Around the world, diarrhea is the third-most leading cause of death among kids. Nearly 500,000 children between the ages of 0 to 5 die of diarrhea, and another 50,000 die between the ages of 5 to 9 (source). B. lactis Bl-04 can help to shorten, and in some cases mitigate, diarrhea (source).
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an extremely beneficial micronutrient, and studies show that 19% of kids 2-18 years of age do not consume enough of it (source). Furthermore, 6% of people over the age of 6 are severely deficient, according to an article released by Oregon State University (source).
But with this knowledge, it is advisable to not start giving your child vitamin C supplements aggressively. Doses used in adult products may range from 500-1000mg (or higher) and could cause stomach upset in young kids. Instead, the best thing to do is to regularly provide foods that have naturally occurring vitamin C and possibly supplement with additional vitamin C if you determine that your child needs a little boost.
Vitamin D3
Between 12% and 24% of kids have a deficiency in the super important micronutrient vitamin D3 (source). Sunlight is the easiest way to get vitamin D3, as around 90% of the amount a child gets in a day comes from the sun (source).
According to the article "Sun Exposure in Children: Balancing the Benefits and Harms, 15-30 minutes of sunlight between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. can help treat most vitamin D3 deficiencies. That makes recess and outdoor play not just fun, but beneficial for your child’s health.
Vitamin D3 is also commonly found in fish products like salmon, cod liver oil, and tuna (source).
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are simply plant-based fibers. Prebiotics are found in cabbage, almonds, bananas, beans, flax, fresh garlic, oat, dandelion greens, and whole grain corn, rye, barley, and wheat (source). The need for prebiotic fibers is one of the many reasons that kids need to eat their peas (and other vegetables).
Some specific prebiotics you may encounter in products include fructoolingosaccarides (FOS), galactoolingosaccarides (GOS), inulin, resistant starch, and pectin. There are several benefits of prebiotics, but they all promote gut health.
Because prebiotics are fibers, they assist the gut by helping the intestines to move quicker and keep stool soft. This is extremely important for youngsters since up to 36% of kids suffer from constipation (source).
On top of that, 12% to 14% of kids suffer from chronic constipation, which can take months to fix, and if taken to the extreme can be life-threatening (source). It also turns out that constipation affects all ages, not just toddlers, but school-aged children and older as well.
Magnesium
We often hear that magnesium can help kids go to sleep, but is that actually true? It turns out that magnesium might not be as effective as stated because only 2% of people have hypomagnesemia (magnesium deficiency) (source).
At the same time, SleepFoundation.org states that nearly 50% of kids might not consume enough magnesium.
While kids who are low in magnesium can benefit from improved sleep by taking magnesium supplements, magnesium is also useful for those with mental challenges like ADHD. More than 10% of kids have either developmental or behavioral conditions, and magnesium along with other minerals may aid kids with these concerns (source).
A Sleepy Subject
Sleep is one of the most needed parts of a child’s day. However, 35% of kids between the ages of 4 months and 14 years do not get enough sleep each day (source). Unfortunately, this statistic worsens with age, as 57.8% of middle schoolers and 72.7% of high schoolers do not get enough sleep (source).
Surprisingly, certain regions in the United States on average have worse sleep rates than others. In the South, about 40% to 50% of kids do not get enough sleep, but in the northern states, kids usually get more sleep (source).
One possibility why this might be the case is that the northern states have colder climates, meaning that they have less likelihood of being too hot at night.
If kids do not sleep enough each night, it can stunt their growth because growth hormone is released while they are asleep (source). Without enough sleep, it is possible that not enough of the growth hormone is released.
General Sleep Guidelines for Children
Sources: Nemours KidsHealth and SleepFoundation.org
How Much Exercise?
The American Heart Association recommends that children ages 6-17 get at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity per day. In addition, this should be mostly aerobic exercise.
That being said, a wide variety of activities can account for this activity, including taking a brisk walk, social dancing, gardening, or slow-speed biking for moderate-intensity activities as well as uphill hiking, swimming laps, running, aerobic dancing, heavy yard work, singles tennis, jumping rope, and speed cycling for high-intensity workouts (source).
The AHA advises vigorous activity 3 days a week as well as muscle- and bone-strengthening (i.e. weight-bearing) exercise 3 days per week. Variety is key, so be sure to mix it up from sports to outdoor work to recreational games!
Source: American Heart Association
Children 3-5 years of age “should be physically active and have plenty of opportunities to move throughout the day,” says the AHA. The NHS, the UK’s biggest health website, adds that preschoolers need at least 3 hours a day of active physical activity, including being outdoors, with at least 1 hour at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity level.
It is also recommended that this age group is not inactive for long periods, such as traveling, watching TV, or being strapped into a stroller, which are not suitable for childhood health and development.
Summary
Children’s health is intimately associated with microbial diversity in the gut. This gut-brain connection directly impacts immune system functioning, occasionally manifesting as autoimmune disorders or allergies, as well as neurodivergent behavioral issues, like ADHD and ASD.
The good news is that a healthy, diverse diet and lifestyle adjustments that increase exposure to harmless bacteria and microbes in the environment can yield significant changes.
Furthermore, supplemental probiotics and prebiotics, accompanied by other therapies like the experimental FMT, may further increase gut diversity, potentially leading to positive improvements in disorder symptomology.
Proper amounts of sleep and exercise are universally important for children, and a diet rich in real, nutrient-dense foods is always superior to a medicine cabinet full of pill bottles. Real foods contain a cacophony of nutrients, spanning from vitamins and prebiotics to antioxidants and minerals.
It’s now time to put all this studying to the test! The first day of school is right around the corner, and you’re prepared to support your children’s health as they continue their educational journey.
Remember to keep things simple and focus on small, achievable changes you can stick with throughout the school year. Consistency is key to long-term health and wellness.
References
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