Danone launches growing up milk designed for kids born via C-section in Malaysia
According to the company, the intention of the product is to maintain a diverse range of microbiota or good bacteria in the gut, as research shows that gut dysbiosis is common in children born via C-section.
Gut dysbiosis, or an imbalanced gut environment, could affect a child’s digestion, immune function, and overall health.
The product, Aptamil KID C-SynB contains Synbio+ and is for children one year and above.
Synbio+ is a combination of the probiotics Bifidobacterium breve M-16V and prebiotics galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and long-chain fructooligosaccharides (lcFOS) in the ratio of nine to one.
Within South East Asia (SEA), Malaysia is the latest market to have launched the product, which is available in both e-commerce and offline retailers since June. It is sold at a recommended price of RM68 (US$14) for a 600g pack.
Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia are some of the SEA markets that are already selling the product.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, Angie Low, SEA health innovation medical affairs and market access director at Danone said studies have shown that children delivered via C-section faced a higher risk of asthma, infections, and obesity.
Malaysia's C-section rate is also on the rise.
Local media The Sun reported in 2022 that the prevalence of C-section in Malaysia was 27.6 per cent. A study published in BMC Pregnancy Childbirth also showed that C-section rates had increased five per cent between 2011 and 2015.
“Although we know that C-section is a medical and life-saving procedure, it could also have an impact on the health of children.
“These children are exposed to a higher risk of asthma, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and obesity. What we’re starting to know is that gut dysbiosis found in C-section children will lead to lifelong health impacts,” said Low.
Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is recommended for C-section deliveries and studies have shown that it could delay gut colonisation by Bifidobacterium – a beneficial bacteria found in abundance in children vaginally born.
Also, IAP could increase the count of Enterobacteriaceae which is not abundant in children vaginally born.
Low said that Synbio+, which was Danone’s patented mixture of pre- and probiotics, has been found to restore gut dysbiosis seen in children born via C-section.
“We have found in a clinical study that by introducing this combination of pre- and probiotics, it will be able to restore the dysbiosis found in C-section born children.
“We also found that the dysbiosis can last up to five years of age. This means children born via C-section could continue to experience gut dysbiosis if it's not rectified early,” she said.
According to a study conducted in Thailand and Singapore, gut flora were restored in C-section born children fed with milk containing Synbio+. In fact, their gut flora was found to be similar to those born via vaginal delivery.
“Apart from restoring gut dysbiosis, it's also able to help support the development of the immune system, as we were able to find a lower incidence of eczema in children given with this pre and probiotic combination.”
She added that the probiotics used in this case, B. breve M16-V was a Human Residential Bifidobacterium (HRB), unlike non-HRB which are isolated from animals.
“HRBs are the most dominant species found in humans and this is also one of the species that is found to colonise the human gut and confers health benefits in humans.
“We found that both GOS, FOS, and probiotics work in synergy. Prebiotic is a food for the good bacteria and Bifidobacteria relies on this food to flourish. Prebiotics selectively feed this good bacteria to grow, and the intake of this pre- and probiotics blend has been shown to compensate the delay of Bifidobacterium gut colonisation in C-section children.”
Dr Christophe Lay, senior team leader gut microbiology and #OneBiome, Danone Nutricia Research, also presented how C-section births have been found to be a risk factor for childhood infections and non-communicable diseases at Growth Asia Summit 2024.
He also presented Danone’s OneBiome service. This is designed to profile an individual’s microbiome and dietary lifestyle data, with the aim of fuelling the science behind personalised nutrition.
Other products
The Synbio+ blend of pre- and probiotics is also used in other products by Danone in a different dosage amount.
Aptamil KID C-SynB, designed for children born via C-section, contains 5.7 billion of B. breve M-16V per 1,000 grams of milk powder and the prebiotics GOS/lcFOS at 4.3 grams per 100g of milk powder.
In comparison, Danone's other growing up milk, Aptamil Kid Stage 3, for example, contains 1 billion of B. breve M-16V per 1,000 grams of milk powder and the prebiotics GOS/lcFOS at 3.8 grams per 100g of milk powder.
Both products also contain 2’-FL, DHA, sphingomyelin, tryptophan, omega 3, 6, 9 and vitamin B12.
