The risk of eczema in babies can be reduced with probiotic supplements taken by mothers during pregnancy according a recently published study.

Pregnant women were given probiotic supplements from the eighth month of pregnancy and their babies were given probiotics for 6 months. The babies were 30% less likely to develop eczema than babies who did not receive probiotic supplements.

The babies were at a higher risk than normal for infant eczema and other allergies as the parents in the study had suffered allergies themselves. Babies with eczema tend to have a family history of allergies including asthma and arthritis.

Probiotics are supplements of the beneficial bacteria that live in the digestive system and are often killed off when antibiotics are taken. Mothers of babies with eczema have often noticed that it started after a course of antibiotics for an infection.

The probiotics had the effect of strengthening the immune system which makes eczema and other allergies less likely. One of the researchers said that it seemed clear that babies immune systems needed to be stimulated early to prevent allergies.

The health benefits of Probiotics in the body include:

• Boosting the immune system.

• Help to prevent or treat a variety of diseases by discouraging the growth of disease-causing bacteria.

• Reduce colic in infants

• Promote anti-allergic processes by stimulating the production of growth factors suppressing allergic reactions to potentially allergic foods

• Reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

• Help prevent constipation.

• Help prevent infections in the intestines and elsewhere in the body including bronchitis and pneumonia

The growing epidemic of allergies in the Western World has been blamed on houses that are ‘too clean’. Babies and children are not exposed to the variety of germs that could prime the immune system.

While it is important to protect a child from dangerous bacteria mothers are often so obsessed with cleanliness that they use a lot of chemical based household cleaning products, air fresheners and chemically impregnated nappy sacks.

It is known that babies are now born with a high load of chemicals in their blood that they have received from the mother.

We all have an ever increasing load of chemicals in our bodies that have overloaded the detoxification systems.These chemicals get passed on to the babies during pregnancy.Many of these chemicals can interfere with the function of the immune system and I wonder how much this contributes to the allergy epidemic.

Although other studies showed that many of the current popular probiotic drinks were of no benefit there are many good probiotic supplements. Babies and children need different strains and doses than adults and should only be given probiotics formulated for them.

It is clear that there is a lot that mothers can do prior to and during pregnancy to reduce the toxic chemical load and improve their good bacteria through detox and effective probiotic supplements. It is well worth the effort to prevent the misery of allergies and baby eczema.

Probiotics have been in the news a lot recently with claims that some supermarket probiotic yogurts do not contain beneficial strains of bacteria nor enough of them to make a lot of difference.

Now some interesting research has shown a connection between the bacteria in the digestive system, sugar cravings and overweight. One study showed that people who crave daily chocolate have different colonies of bacteria than people who claim not to have any cravings.

The vast majority of bacteria in the gut belong to one of two groups known as Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes. It seems that overweight people have a higher ratio of Firmicutes than Bacteroidetes and thin people have more Bacteroidetes.

What causes this? How would gut bacteria make you fatter? From the research by Dr Shahni for his book “Cultivate Health from Within” it is obvious that a proper ratio of gut bacteria is critical to maintaining proper body weight.

Gut bacteria are very important for complete digestion. The amount of calories and nutrients that you extract from your food depends on the bacterial content of your gut. Powerful antibiotics often give you digestive problems—they kill a lot of the bacteria in your gut. There is some speculation that certain antibiotics are more effective at killing the Bacteroidetes altering the ratio and making you fat.

This is why nutritionists and some doctors recommend taking a good probiotic containing different strains of bacteria when you take antibiotics to restore the balance. Being bloated and gaseous is a sure sign that your digestive system is disturbed.

People often complain that as they diet and exercise they somehow still do not lose weight especially around the middle. Cultivating a healthy colony of beneficial bacteria is a key part of maintaining a healthy weight and feeling free from cravings.

Ideally we should keep our digestive tracts healthy by eating fermented foods that are common in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and North and Central European cuisine. Foods like sauerkraut, kefir, miso and tempeh are rich in enzymes and alive with gut friendly bacteria that “colonize” the intestines. But with today’s hectic lifestyles people do not have time to make these foods and many rely on taking probiotic supplements.

Another way to boost the healthy bacteria is to eat foods that supply substances that feed the bacteria. These are known as prebiotics – chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, leeks, onions, salsify, bananas and oats.

One well researched live probiotic that is available both in the USA and the UK is LB17. It contains 17 strains of live active and fully viable friendly bacteria that are certain survive the journey through the digestive system. These friendly bacteria go to work immediately, as they are living in a naturally fermented mixture of seaweeds, mushrooms, vegetables, herbs, fruits, grains and cereals.

LB17 probiotic can improve digestive, bowel and liver function. Getting the balance right is a key part of maintaining a healthy weight and feeling free from cravings.