To understand whether or not probiotics can make your baby more resistant to eczema, it is important to understand a few things first about what probiotics are, and about what they do. In addition, it is important to understand some of the possible causes of eczema, and how they might be addressed through the use of probiotics.

Probiotics are actually live bacteria. Unlike the harmful bacteria that can cause illness and infection, however, probiotics are bacteria that provide some sort or another of a benefit to the person that uses them. The bacteria in probiotics are the type of bacteria that are found naturally in the digestive system. These bacteria aid the digestive system in a variety of ways, from helping with digestion to synthesizing vitamins to providing a barrier against allergens, toxins, and other harmful substances. Probiotics even aid the immune system.

It is in the digestive system, however, that probiotics can help make your baby more resistant to eczema. In many cases, eczema is actually a reaction to a food allergy. This is much more common than we realize. In fact, eczema is very often one of the first signs that a baby is allergic to a food. Probiotics can help the baby’s eczema by lessening the impact of those food allergies. While probiotics don’t keep a baby from being allergic to a certain type of food, probiotics can alleviate the irritation that the food allergy causes to the infant’s body. In a very real sense, then, probiotics can make your baby more resistant to eczema.

Scientific studies have supported this theory. One study completed in Finland demonstrated that infants that were given probiotics regularly and form an early age actually tended to delay the development of eczema for up to four years. This was in contrast to the group of infants that were not given probiotics, who were only resistant to eczema for around two years. While more studies certainly could be done in this area, probiotics are proving to be one of the most exciting types of medical advances in recent years.

Posted in Baby and Toddler

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