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The importance of probiotics and prebiotics in diseases of childhood
JERKOVIČOVÁ, Diana
The major goal of this thesis was to explore and summarize the issue of the importance of prebiotics and probiotics in the prevention and treatment of disease in childhood in the form of theoretical work using a variety of literary sources, both Czech and foreign. The most important prerequisite for proper physical growth, health and psychosocial development of the child is good nutrition. The simplest and most natural way of feeding babies is breast-feeding. Breast milk is absolutely perfect composition, optimum temperature and protects infants against various infections and allergies. The colonization of the intestinal microflora, which affects among other things, our immune and digestive system, begins to occur during childbirth (vaginal and fecal microflora from its mother), and from breast milk or the environment. The settlement is delayed if the child was born by Caesarean section. If infants are only breastfed their intestinal microflora is composed of 90% of healthy bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Probiotics are referred as living organisms (bacteria and yeasts) which have shown positive influence on the health of the host when administered in adequate amounts. Probiotics in pediatric practice has tripled over the last ten years. The most used are bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and / or activity of certain strains of intestinal microflora. The first area of concern of the effect of prebiotics and probiotics in the prevention and treatment of various diseases in children were atopic disease whose prevalence in recent decades, greatly affects the whole society. In case of atopic dermatitis and food allergies there are number of optimistic studies that demonstrate the positive effect of combination of probiotics and prebiotics (synbiotics), on the other hand, there are studies on this issue which are rather skeptical and do not confirm this positive effect. Convincing results come from the area of diarrhoea. Regarding acute diarrhoea that are in children caused mainly by rotavirus, was observed clearly positive effects of probiotics, which occur to shorten the duration of rotavirus diarrhea to about 40 hours, or to reduce the number of stools and the duration of diarrhea by approximately one day, and especially where there has been the early administration. Similarly, in a majority of cases the positive impact of the use of probiotics for diarrhoea associated with antibiotic treatment, especially during simultaneous use. Regarding inflammatory bowel diseases, favorable results are achieved in particular in the case of ulcerative colitis, which is the use of a positive effect of probiotics in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate inflammatory activity comparable to drug treatment, but in Crohn's disease, a positive influence is entirely clear. Positive results also come in necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates. However, these results are difficult to interpret because studies. Very similar results in the effects of probiotics and prebiotics are in the prevention of nosocomial sepsis in preterm infants. Although showing some positive effects, particularly in infants with very low birth weight, there was a positive effect of probiotics or prebiotics in different studies fully demonstrated and it would be desirable to assess the safety and effectiveness of future research. It would be necessary to examine which specific types of probiotics should be used and in what dosage. In general, therefore, could be said that despite all the optimistic results of a positive effect of probiotics and prebiotics in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, there is the need for further research, that this positive effect is confirmed or refuted.
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