Every parent knows perfectly well what an infection that appears suddenly means, always at the least appropriate moment. It is associated with the need to quickly change plans, an urgent visit to the doctor, days off at work. Hence, we try to take special care of the immunity of our children during periods of increased morbidity. But do we really know how to do it?

The immune system of children is still developing, so we support it as much as we can. Changeable weather conditions, difficulty in adjusting the right clothes to the temperature, staying in overheated rooms and a diet lower in nutrients contribute to a decrease in immunity. Each infection or cold teaches the child's body how to react to the pathogen in order to defend itself in the future and not to get sick. The greatest influence on the prevention of infections is a proper diet, exercise and hardening the body. However, always, even with the most restrictive rules, an infection may unfortunately appear.

Check the composition. Remember that the product is not equal to the product

The pharmacy shelf is bending under the weight of various dietary supplements that are designed to support the immune system. Is it worth using them? Yes, but with your head. Choosing the right product should not be accidental. Often, when choosing a supplement, we follow the recommendation, believing that it will certainly be suitable for our child. However, you must know that the supplement is not equal to the supplement. Similarly to checking the composition of food or cosmetic products, we should check the labels of dietary supplements. Even in children's syrups, flavor enhancers and dyes can be found.

What to consider in the pharmacy when choosing a preparation for our child, when we have a whole range of preparations on the shelves?

It's good to know what to look for when buying a dietary supplement based on plant extracts. It is also important that in the case of natural products, systematic intake is what counts, hence every parent knows very well how important the taste of the syrup is. If the child likes it, ufff a few minutes to persuade them.

Let's go through a few terms that we can find on the labels:

Plant extract it is a concentrated plant preparation obtained by etching the plant material, e.g. with water, and then concentrating it (e.g. partial evaporation of the solvent used for etching). It sounds complicated, but thanks to this, in a smaller volume we get a greater amount of therapeutically active compounds.

Standardizationdetermines the content of an active substance with a given therapeutic activity. Thanks to it, we have a guarantee that in a single portion of the preparation (e.g. a teaspoon of syrup) we will find a certain amount of active compounds. It is important to pay attention to the composition of the product, because the real content of active substances guarantees its performance. For example, elderberry syrup for children should have a high amount of extract that has been made from a sufficiently large amount of elderberry fruit. Certainly, each of us checked the content of tomatoes in ketchup or fruit in jam, so the topic is familiar.

For example 17.5 mg of the standardized extract for the content of 13% of active substance means its content in the amount of 2.275 mg (17.5 mg x 0.13=2.275 mg)

DER (Drug Extract Ratio)tells about the concentration of the extract used in relation to the dried material from which the product was made, simply the amount of the herb or fruit that was processed into the extract. For example, DER 64: 1 means that 1 g of extract was obtained from 64 g of raw material. So we don't have to wonder where to get and how to eat 5 kg of fruit to introduce the right amount of anthocyanins and polyphenols - compounds responsible for supporting immunity.

No less important, especially in the case of children, is to make sure that the product contains only natural ingredients, i.e. the label does not contain flavor enhancers, preservatives, and glucose-fructose syrup. Your baby will be taking immunity support syrup for at least one month, so why stuff them with additional chemicals?

Moreover, the easiest way to find out if there is any chemicals in a given syrup is to check the shelf life of the product after opening. If the syrup can be stored for more than one month, it is very likely to contain a preservative, e.g. potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate. Just like with one-day juices - they have no preservatives, so they must be consumed quickly.

Black without

Modern products supporting the immune system do not only come from laboratories and chemists' ideas. Man has always been observing nature and taking what is best from it to serve his he alth.Sambucus nigra , i.e. black elderberry, also known as chyćka and without medicine, is one of the most appreciatedplants that have been known in folk medicine for centuries. The beneficial properties of elderberry fruit result from the presence of polyphenols, including anthocyanins, which belong to the group of flavonoids and are a natural plant dye. They have antioxidant properties, neutralize free radicals, and support the work of the immune system. Today, we know these mechanisms from laboratory research, but folk knowledge, which was based on observation, placed elderberry syrup high in the hierarchy of effective immunity-enhancing preparations.

Black elderberry can be found, for example, in Sambucus kids syrup. It contains a composition of two standardized elderberry extracts ( Sambucus nigra L .), With a guaranteed amount of polyphenols and anthocyanins in each serving. This means that when giving the syrup, the child receives the right amount of ingredients that have a beneficial effect on supporting immunity.

By definition, syrup contains sugar

According to the definition, the syrup is in a liquid form and is intended for oral administration. It is a thick, sticky joy characterized by a sweet taste. Due to the high sugar content, the osmotic pressure is high against the microbial growth. Active substances are suspended or dissolved in syrups. The liquid form is easier to give to children.

It is worth paying attention if the manufacturer of the supplement has not used a sugar substitute, e.g. glucose-fructose syrup. It is used on a large scale in the food industry due to its affordable price, ease of use, ease of transport and storage. Its calorific value is comparable to that of sucrose, while the way it is metabolized causes that glucose-fructose syrup may have adverse effects on the body. When taken in greater amounts, it can cause the body to produce excess body fat, resulting in rapid weight gain, increased appetite, and fluctuating blood glucose levels. Hence, it is worth considering the ingredients and choosing syrups containing only naturally occurring sugars.

Avoid artificial flavors and flavor enhancers

When verifying the composition of the immunity-supporting syrup, pay attention to whether its composition does not contain artificial flavors and flavor enhancers. Such products are better avoided, especially if they are to be given to children. Although they can improve the appearance of the syrup and its taste, they will not add anything positive. What's more, in the long run, they can be counterproductive.

Let's move towards natural immune support. Let us chooseproducts that taste and smell due to natural aromas and powdered fruit. Let's read the labels carefully, and in doubtful matters, let's consult a pharmacist.

The he alth of our children is the most important and it is worth spending a moment longer to carefully trace the composition of the immunity-supporting syrup. As parents, it will give us the feeling that we are giving our children the best.

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Child's he alth