June 19, 2014 - Blogs
A children’s beverage containing a combination of DHA, a prebiotic blend of PDX and GOS, and yeast β-glucan supported immune health in 3- and 4-year-olds, compared to an unfortified milk beverage.
The star of the study was a follow-up formula (FUF) containing 25 milligrams DHA, 1.2 grams PDX/GOS, and 8.7 milligrams yeast β-glucan (Biothera’s Wellmune WGP®) per serving. For 28 weeks, 3- to 4-year-old children were fed three servings per day of either the FUF, or an unfortified cow’s milk-based beverage.
Children who consumed the follow-up formula (FUF) had fewer episodes and shorter duration of acute respiratory infections (P = .007) than children consuming the cow’s milk-based beverage. They also required fewer antibiotic treatments (P = .01) and missed fewer days of day care due to illness. In addition, the FUF group had both higher interleukin-10 and white blood cell (WBC) counts at the end of the study, suggesting an anti-inflammatory mechanism and/or an increase of effector immune cells.
“As the study’s authors noted, children are vulnerable to diet inadequacies, which may affect immune function," said Donald Cox, Ph.D., senior vice president, healthcare research & development, Biothera.
Tackling children’s nutrition inadequacies is a challenge. Taste it the primary concern for children. And let’s face it, “healthy" and “delicious" don’t always go hand-in-hand.
Take milk, for example, which contains protein and calcium—two nutrients critical for developing children. Milk is also fortified with vitamins A and D; vitamin D aids in absorption of calcium and promotes immune health. Add a little flavoring and something to make it sweet, and children can’t resist.
But when children increase their intake of flavored milks, like chocolate milk, they also increase sugar and calorie intake. With the obesity epidemic in full swing—even among children—intake of “empty calories" is scorned. I’m sure you can see the pattern.
And thus, the challenge is to create foods that are nutritionally adequate for children, but also taste good without adding unnecessary calories. Food Product Design’s FoodTech Toolbox offers a wealth of resources that can aid in creating nutritional products for children, like the Image Gallery: Formulating Healthy Kids’ Snacks.
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A children’s beverage containing a combination of DHA, a prebiotic blend of PDX and GOS, and yeast β-glucan supported immune health in 3- and 4-year-olds, compared to an unfortified milk beverage.
The star of the study was a follow-up formula (FUF) containing 25 milligrams DHA, 1.2 grams PDX/GOS, and 8.7 milligrams yeast β-glucan (Biothera’s Wellmune WGP®) per serving. For 28 weeks, 3- to 4-year-old children were fed three servings per day of either the FUF, or an unfortified cow’s milk-based beverage.
Children who consumed the follow-up formula (FUF) had fewer episodes and shorter duration of acute respiratory infections (P = .007) than children consuming the cow’s milk-based beverage. They also required fewer antibiotic treatments (P = .01) and missed fewer days of day care due to illness. In addition, the FUF group had both higher interleukin-10 and white blood cell (WBC) counts at the end of the study, suggesting an anti-inflammatory mechanism and/or an increase of effector immune cells.
“As the study’s authors noted, children are vulnerable to diet inadequacies, which may affect immune function," said Donald Cox, Ph.D., senior vice president, healthcare research & development, Biothera.
Tackling children’s nutrition inadequacies is a challenge. Taste it the primary concern for children. And let’s face it, “healthy" and “delicious" don’t always go hand-in-hand.
Take milk, for example, which contains protein and calcium—two nutrients critical for developing children. Milk is also fortified with vitamins A and D; vitamin D aids in absorption of calcium and promotes immune health. Add a little flavoring and something to make it sweet, and children can’t resist.
But when children increase their intake of flavored milks, like chocolate milk, they also increase sugar and calorie intake. With the obesity epidemic in full swing—even among children—intake of “empty calories" is scorned. I’m sure you can see the pattern.
And thus, the challenge is to create foods that are nutritionally adequate for children, but also taste good without adding unnecessary calories. Food Product Design’s FoodTech Toolbox offers a wealth of resources that can aid in creating nutritional products for children, like the Image Gallery: Formulating Healthy Kids’ Snacks.
