Pediatria pre prax 1/2019
Possibilities of influencing children immunity from a pediatric point of view
The importance of a properly functioning and well-balanced immune system for maintaining health has become evident over the past decades. There has been an apparent decrease in the prevalence of “traditional” infectious diseases, but on the other hand has been increased number of allergic and autoimmune diseases. This result is probably connected with changes in life-style-related factors, whether positive influencing (vaccination, better health care and nutrition) or negative influencing (smoking and environmental pollution). We know, that diet and nutrition can affect too the functioning of immune system. Nutritional epigenetics seeks to explain the effects of nutrition on gene expression. The nutrients we extract from food enter metabolic pathways where they are modified, and molded into molecules the body can use. One such pathway is responsible for making methyl groups, important epigenetic tags, that can change of gene functions or immune reactions. We know that some of the food suplement have positive infuencing for developement children imunity, but generally we must be very careful about reccomanding food suplemments. Not only positive effect, but the safety this "therapy" should be our priority.
Keywords: immunity, nutrition, nutritional epigenetics
