Forbes Tıp Dergisi (Apr 2023)

Probiotics and Prebiotics in Infancy

  • Miray KARAKOYUN,
  • Yeliz ÇAĞAN APPAK

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4274/forbes.galenos.2023.26818
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. suppl 1
pp. 21 – 28

Abstract

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Nutrition is important in every period of life, but it has a special importance in infancy when growth is the fastest. Infancy is the period in which children grow and develop the fastest. Breast milk is the best food for the newborn and contains all the necessary nutrients to support the baby's development. Exclusive breast milk is the preferred feeding method for all newborn babies, especially for the first six months, and provides complete nutrition to support growth and development in the early stages of life. In addition, breast milk provides the baby with many bioactive compounds such as oligosaccharides (natural prebiotics), immune cells and bacteria (natural probiotics) and their metabolites (natural postbiotics). Probiotics, which are accepted as functional foods, are attracting more and more attention every day because of their proven positive effects on human health. In this review, the place and importance of probiotics and prebiotics in infancy will be discussed.

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