Foods and Food Ingredients for Prevention of Diarrheal Disease in Children in Developing Countries

Abstract

In this review, foods and food ingredients which seem to be most effective in prevention of diarrhoeal disease in infants are considered. Many of the anti-infective factors found in colostrum and human milk are tabulated and mechanisms which have been proposed for their protective ability are discussed. The transfer of antibodies in human milk and colostrum, and the possibility of using cow's milk and eggs as a source of antibodies against rotavirus are considered. The use of fermented milk products, such as yoghurt, which contain viable lactobacilli, lactic acid and antibiotic-like substances, to prevent or treat infantile diarrhoea, is also discussed. Studies in vivo and in vitro using probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. bulgaricus and Streptococcus faecium are reviewed, and recommendations are made for future areas of research.