Mothers today have a multitude of concerns, especially with our changing environment. Children have to grow up in a worsening climate and live every day with toxic dust and pollution. And then there’s the COVID-19 pandemic which surely has mothers everywhere worried. These are crucial factors that impact or threaten your child’s immune system, increasing the risk of suffering from various diseases. What mothers need to know is that it’s not all bad news. By learning how to build immunity, there are steps you can take to safeguard your child’s health.
How Important Is Immunity?
The body's immune system is like a protective barrier against germs or foreign matter, such as bacteria, viruses, or various allergens. It prevents them from entering the body and causing various diseases or symptoms, and fights infection should that occur.
From birth, children are supplied with the mother's first immune response, which is sufficient for the first few months of life. But after that, a child's own immune system is still not fully developed, so it is more vulnerable to disease than adults.
Learning how to build immunity for children is essential to reduce illness and the risk of disease.
How to Build Immunity
-
Have your child vaccinated as scheduled.
Vaccination supports how to build immunity because vaccines give the body an immune response against pathogens. You should take your child to get all the available vaccines as scheduled by your doctor.
-
Provide supplementary food to children according to their age.
Mothers should choose food that covers all three nutritional groups to strengthen the immune system and provide for healthy development of the child.
-
Make sure your child gets sufficient sleep.
How to build immunity begins with sufficient sleep. A long sleep will promote your child's immune system to function properly, and this, in turn, also supports their physical health. The amount of sleep your child needs depends on their age, but in general, children should sleep at least 10 hours a day1.
-
Give your child exercise.
When your child exercises, the white blood cells that destroy pathogens work better, helping to strengthen the immune system and the child's body. Mothers should give their children physical exercise regularly.
-
Choose MFGM.
You may be wondering what MFGM (Milk Fat Globule Membrane) is, how it can help lower the chance of your child getting sick, and how to build immunity.
MFGM is a biological membrane wrapped around milk fat particles found in milk, thereby enabling them to mix well in the aqueous (liquid) part of milk2.
MFGM contains various vital nutrients including fats and more than 150 biological proteins2.
MFGM may help gain better protection against infections3. Some components in the MFGM might also have a significant role in shaping microbial populations in the gut, which may then promote protection against diseases4.
How to Build Immunity: MFGM Strengthens the Immune System
Singapore experiences the annual haze season, which is now coupled with pathogens from the COVID-19 epidemic. Therefore, it is important to strengthen children's immunity to fight against allergens and germs. How to build immunity is key, and MFGM can help mothers in this regard.
Studies have shown that certain proteins in MFGM help strengthen the body's immune system2. It supports the body to fight against these viral and bacterial infections — for example, studies have shown that MFGM reduces the risk of developing acute otitis media5.
More science supports the MFGM and immunity link: A study on a group of population found that those fed with MFGM-added formula had a shorter duration of fever or illness and took fewer antibiotics than those fed with formula without MFGM6. These may further indicate that MFGM has a beneficial effect on immune functions7.
When your child has a strong immune system, they can fight against viruses and bacteria better, reduce the chance of illness, and they will always be ready to learn new things from the world around them.
MFGM Improves Brain Cell Connections
Other than being a crucial nutrient in how to build immunity, MFGM contains complex lipids such as sphingomyelin, phospholipids, and ganglioside, which promote the formation of the nerves’ myelin sheath to increase nerve signaling efficiency and the connection between brain cells8. As a result, MFGM provides support to cognitive development and performance8.
Clinical research found that those who received MFGM along with DHA had higher intelligence development scores than those who received only DHA. A 21-day laboratory experiment on the function of MFGM found that the nutrients in MFGM working with DHA increased the likelihood of connecting brain cells versus DHA alone8.
These are the top reasons why today’s mums need to know how to build immunity and choose MFGM for their child. Every mother wants their child to have good brain development and a healthy immune system, and now it’s possible to attain this through the right nutrition.
Learn more from experts on nutrition and child development. Join the Enfamama A+ Club !
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep/how-much-sleep-do-kids-need, Accessed 30 March 2021
https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2018.00313
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030714
https://doi.org/10.3945/an.116.014142
