Functional food for infants and children

Background. Statements about the availability of selected foods ("functiona l foods") to reduce the risk of diseases still continue to polarise opinion s. If functional food is offered to infants and:toddlers, its safety and ef ficacy have to be established Breast-feeding is the best example for functi onal nutrition during the 1 st year of life; Additions to infant food. Prob iotics health-promoting bacteria - added to formula are effective for the p revention and treatment of diarrhoea. Moreover, they act as an anticonstipa tion factor and reduce the incidence of diaper rash. Prebiotics - oligosacc harides,which promote growth of health-promoting bacteria in the gut - adde d to infant cereals are helpful in reducing the incidence of fever, a ny co ld symptoms, runny nose, and severity of diarrhoea. Consumption of prebioti cs before, during,and after measles vaccination resulted in a higher IgG me asles antibody titre 6 weeks after vaccination. Conclusion. Further studies with pro- and prebiotics in small children in d eveloping and developed countries are necessary to elucidate the influence on health and the cellular and humoral immune status.