Studies have shown that a healthy gut flora is directly related to an overall health. It plays an enormously important role not only for digestion but also for the immune system.
New to this world, babies first have to build up this wall of bacteria. The large intestine has to be colonized with useful bifido and lactic bacteria, preventing disease-causing germs from settling in. Their main role is to boost the immune system, improve food digestibility, and reduce metabolic disorders.
Probiotics are live bacteria found especially in fermented food and also in breast milk. Some manufacturers of baby food, such as HiPP, emphasize on the importance of probiotics and prebiotics.
The Combiotik line contains Lb. fermentum, which is a bacteria they cultivated from real breast milk. If you are looking for a formula rich in probiotics HiPP Combiotik and HiPP Combiotik HA is the best option for you.
During natural birth, babies are exposed to their first dose of bacteria when passing through the birth canal. Babies born via cesarean section or prematurely do not receive the same amount of probiotics and particularly benefit from being fed probiotics from a young age.
Prebiotics are indigestible fibers (i.e. complex carbohydrates such as galacto-oligosaccharides or GOS in short) and are, so to speak, a precursor of bacteria: They enter the colon undigested and serve as food for probiotics. They regulate digestion and prevent constipation. When your baby is already eating a mixed diet you can add prebiotic foods to the plan: i.e. beans, peas, bananas, berries, and oats are high in prebiotic fibers.