What Is PHP and Why My Child Should Take It?

One of the most common childhood pain experiences is stomachache. Most children will complain of stomach pain and discomfort once in a while. Rest assured, the pain and discomfort can happen for any number of reasons, but parents are often left to wonder if their children have a sensitive stomach.

A sensitive stomach is used to describe a stomach that is easily upset and normally people with sensitive stomachs may experience¹. The symptoms include:

• Excess gas²
• Heartburn²
• Acid reflux²
• Nausea²
• Upset stomach²
• Constipation²
• Diarrhoea²
• Vomiting²
• Changing bowel habits²

When your child is going through abdominal pain, it is crucial to understand the source of this issue as the issue can start interfering with daily life. Children who are constantly in pain are often more likely to be fussy, constantly crying, and even spit up after every meal. 

Parents must constantly remind themselves that the stomach of your child is not the same as an adult’s stomach. A complex interplay of factors such as food habits, genes, gender, state of health, age and gut health contribute to the maturity of your child’s digestive system³.

Some children’s nerves are more sensitive compared to others and they often feel discomfort as a reaction to even normal intestine activities. Some of the most likely causes of stomach discomfort is not eating enough, not going to the bathroom or a combination of the two.

In some cases, a specific problem such as constipation, heartburn, or a food allergy causes abdominal pain. In other cases, the cause may not be so clear⁴.

How to Support Your Child’s Digestive System?

Children with sensitive stomachs need all the help they can get especially in their daily food intake. Parents must play a proactive role in modifying the food they eat. 

Not only you can speak to a dietitian about what food items can complement their diet and support their development, but you must also educate your child on what they can and cannot eat.

Follow these easy tips to help your child’s digestion:

• Speak to your doctor to understand the underlying causes.
• Once the cause is determined, start to eliminate the root of the problem. If your child is sensitive to certain foods, get the doctor’s advice on how to get nutrients from a well-balanced diet.
• Be calm. A sensitive stomach can be unpleasant for your child. You need to assure your child that everything will be okay and you can figure out the situation together.
• Stay constantly updated on trends and information that might guide you through your journey.
• Seek help and support from a community of other parents and experienced professionals.
• Serve food that is loaded with fibre as it helps to promote healthy digestive function. Fibre also helps to regulate bowel movement, prevent constipation and promote the growth of beneficial microbes in the guts⁵.
• Go on the new meal plan together. Your child will feel less lonely when parents and other family members participate in their new diet.
• Promote light to moderate physical activity or play to help with digestive problems. Children are recommended to accumulate at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily⁶. Do it together! Be it playing badminton, jogging or even cycling.

Dealing with a child’s sensitive stomach can be a tough and painful ordeal. That is why learning about diet and avoiding triggering foods should be your ultimate goal. Once you have figure out what is causing your child’s stomach to act up, you need to back on these common culprits:

• Gluten
• Dairy
• Oily, fatty and fried food
• Super spicy foods
• Proceed food 
• Beans
• Wheat bran

Instead focus on meals that carry wonderful nutrients that are tame to the stomach such as:

• Lean protein
• Cooked vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Low fat or fat-free dairy (only if your doctor determined that dairy is not an issue)

PHP For Your Child

Regardless of your child’s stomach issue, every parent needs to start gradually making changes to their diet. To do so, you need to remove food and drinks that will trigger their sensitive stomach and stick with something they can tolerate well.

This does not mean, they have to skip the milk and other dairy products altogether! Your child may be able to tolerate a small amount of lactose, depending on their tolerance level⁷. 

What you can do is to switch to growing up milk that is lower in lactose and choose milk that is formulated with Partially Hydrolysed Protein (PHP).

What Is Partially Hydrolyzed Protein (PHP)?

Children with digestion problems would often need to pay special attention to their diet. Getting the correct source of nutrition helps children to grow up strong and healthy. Milk is a common and easiest nutrition source.

Partially Hydrolyzed Protein (PHP) is a cow’s milk protein that has undergone a special process called hydrolysis. Hydrolysis breaks down the protein molecules into small pieces for easier absorption and digestion⁸.

Therefore, formula milk that contains PHP is easier to digest especially for children with sensitive stomach issues. It is less likely to irritate their digestive systems and helps to manage their digestive discomfort in the future.

Try Enfagrow A+ MindPro Gentlease (1-3 years) 

Enfagrow A+ MindPro Gentlease (1-3 years) is designed for children with delicate tummies and provides balanced nutrition for your child’s happy growth. 

It contains partially hydrolyzed protein that helps children with sensitive tummies to have better digestion and absorption of key nutrients.

It is also now added with MFGM that supports brain development⁹ and enhanced with 105mg DHA in 3 servings per day to help meet expert-recommended daily DHA intake*, so you can be sure that your child’s daily DHA needs are always on track.

Your child needs optimum nutrition to experience well-rounded growth and development. Give your child’s sensitive tummy growing-up milk specially formulated with Partially Hydrolysed Protein that is easy to digest and with lower levels of lactose**. 

Bring that little smile to your child’s face again, try Enfagrow A+ MindPro Gentlease today!

Reference: 

1. (n.d.) Friedman L., The Sensitive Gut (Harvard Health Publications Book 5). Retrieved from www.amazon.com/Sensitive-Harvard-Health-Publications-Book-ebook/dp/B00L1QUDFY
2. (Sept 4, 2015) Hunt R., Camilleri M., Crowe S., El-Omar E., Fox J., Kuipers E., Malfertheiner P., McColl K., Pritchard M., Rugge M., Sonnerberg A., Sugano K., Tack J., The Stomach in Health and Disease. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4835810/
3. Merchant HA, Liu F, Gul MO, Basit AW. Age-mediated changes in the gastrointestinal tract. Retrieved from https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1542469/1/Orlu%20Gul_Age-mediated%20changes%2..
4. (n.d.) Boston Children’s Hospital. Abdominal Pain in Children. Retrieved from www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/a/abdominal-pain
5. Anderson JW, Baird P, Davis RH, et al. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutrition Reviews 2009 ;67(4):188-205.
6. Malaysian Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents 2013

7. (n.d.) Swagerty Jr D., Walling A., Klein R., Lactose Intolerance. Retrieved from pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12018807/

8. (n.d.) Manninen A., Protein hydrolysates in sports nutrition. Retrieved from nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-6-38
9. (n.d) Moukarzel S, Dyer R, Garcia C, Wiedeman A, Boyce G, Weinberg J, Keller B, Elango R, Innis S. Milk Fat Globule Membrane Supplementation in Formula-fed Rat Pups Improves Reflex Development and May Alter Brain Lipid Composition from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6189118/

*FAO/WHO recommended daily DHA intake of 10-12mg/kg body weight for children 12-24 months or 100-150mg DHA+EPA for children 2 years old and above. FAO 2010. Fats and fatty acids in human nutrition. Report of an expert consultation. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper no.91. FAO: Rome.

**Compared to Enfagrow A+ formulation

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