Playtime is over…
New survey reveals the power of the common playground cold
A new consumer survey(1) commissioned by ProVen Probiotics puts children’s coughs and colds firmly in the naughty corner.
The nationwide survey, targeting 1,000 parents of primary school age children has revealed that:
• Two thirds of children took days off school due to the common cold last year.
• More than 50% of those who went to the doctor were prescribed antibiotics, despite new national guidance against their prescription(2).
• Fathers take more time off work than mothers to look after their children when ill.
With a continued reliance on antibiotic prescription for viral illnesses such as coughs and colds, it is not surprising that 61% of parents surveyed said their child had taken at least one day off school in the past year due to these illnesses. Antibiotics are designed to combat bacterial infections and are thus ineffective in relieving the symptoms of coughs and colds in our children.
Recent guidance from NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) stated that doctors should tell patients when antibiotics are inappropriate, refuse to write prescriptions and discuss other options for treatment(3).
(1) 1,000 UK parents with children aged between 4-11 years old. July 2015
(2) NICE Guidance
(3) NICE information for the public – Using antimicrobial medicines safely and wisely to treat infections. 18 August 2015 NICE Guidance : Medicine Safety
NICE Professor, Mark Baker said in a recent statement that overprescribing antibiotics is a “really hazardous practice”, as using them inappropriately for sore throats and colds increases the risk of resistance of bacteria and viruses to the antibiotics(4).
Introducing Fit for School – the natural way to halt the cough and cold merry-go-round
ProVen Probiotics has introduced new Fit for School stick packs and chewable tablets, both with a formulation shown in a recent published trial(5) to be consistently effective in reducing the occurrence and duration of sore throats, coughs and colds amongst primary school children.
Shown to reduce incidence of coughs and colds by a third and to halve the number of days of illness
Absenteeism from school and thus childcare reduced by a third
Days with a runny nose or sore throat reduced by a third
Visits to the doctor and consequently antibiotic prescription reduced by 43%
Both the stick packs and chewable tablets contain 12.5 billion Lab4 friendly bacteria, together with vitamin C, as used in the ProVen ProChild Study, and contribute to the normal function of the immune system. The stick packs also contain vitamin D, which supports normal growth and development of bone in children.
(4) BBC News Health
Simply pour the stick pack sachet into a cold drink, sprinkle on cereal or yoghurt, or pour directly into the mouth. A month’s supply of Fit for School stick packs is £14.95 and available from ProVen Probiotics and independent health food stores.
A pack of 30 strawberry-flavoured Fit for School chewable tablets is £14.95 and available from ProVen Probiotics or independent health food stores.
Adrienne Benjamin, Nutritionist at ProVen Probiotics, says, “At the start of every school year, parents seem to resign themselves to the fact that their child will become ill, take time off school and bring germs into the household, passing them on to other family members and starting a cycle of illness for the winter months. The most effective way to prevent coughs, colds and other upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) is to support the immune system daily with a healthy diet, adequate fluid, exercise, sleep and relevant nutrients from evidencebased supplements. These nutrients include the friendly bacteria and vitamins contained in the ProVen Probiotics Fit for School products.”
About ProVen Probiotics:
ProVen Probiotics is a range of probiotic supplements developed for different life stages, all of which contain the Lab4 group of friendly bacteria combined with relevant and targeted vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
Lab4 is the name given to the group of friendly bacteria strains developed by Dr Nigel Plummer and the scientists at Cultech in south Wales over the last 15 years. This group of bacteria is supported by extensive clinical research, including the recent and ongoing ProChild study, the Swansea Baby Trial, which investigated the effects of probiotics taken during pregnancy and infancy on prevention of allergies in children, and the Sheffield IBS Trial, which found significant improvement in total IBS symptoms in adults taking a high strength ProVen probiotic over eight weeks.
Prepared by : Sharon Steed
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