Bacteria in breast milk are good for babies' health, new research finds

Shortly after birth, babies are covered in bacteria (on their skin, in their mouths and even in their intestines). These bacteria originate from the mother's birth canal, feces (during labor), the mother's skin and mouth, and of course even from the placenta (which is still debated, of course).

These large growths of the microbiome may have profound effects on infant health.

Studies have shown that all the microbiomes that babies carry in the first two years of life may contribute to the risk of developing symptoms of obesity later in life. Babies born by cesarean section are more likely to become obese or may be more susceptible to autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and asthma.

Recently, scientists have discovered another major factor that leads to babies carrying microbiomes. They found that a mother's breast milk is filled with a large number of bacteria, which in turn can attach to the baby's intestinal tract, and thus will positively affect the baby's immune and metabolic systems.

In addition, scientists have found that breast milk is rich in beneficial bacteria only when breastfeeding is done through the breast (even if it is pumped through a breast pump and then bottle-fed to the baby). And of course, milk from a breast pump is also rich in a large number of nutrients that are produced in the breastfeeding method.

Discoveries about the microbiome, however, can create anxiety for many women: medical advice, social pressure to breastfeed, and policy or physical reasons for not being able to breastfeed their own babies through breastfeeding.

The gut microbiome of slightly older infants in particular, "and the central factor that affects their microbiome composition is what they're being fed." According to Meghan Azad, a pediatric researcher and epidemiologist at the University of Manitoba (Canada), "In some ways, this news is not only helpful to mothers, but to society as a whole, that breastfeeding is very important. "

The microbiome during breastfeeding, and its importance, is also just being discovered.

The number of bacteria in breast milk is much lower than in feces, which is usually sampled in order to test intestinal bacteria. Currently, scientists have not found the proper tools to analyze and study breast milk. But as science advances, researchers are discovering that breastfeeding can have a more far-reaching effect by enriching a baby's microbiome with more beneficial bacteria.

It is a known fact that babies born by cesarean section may lack many useful bacteria. And if the mother or the baby is on antibiotics, that can also affect the amount of bacteria that are just emerging in the baby, and by breastfeeding, it is possible to make up for these deficiencies to some extent.

"These instructions have actually been known for a long time," Jed Friedman, director of the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma (USA) According to Jed Friedman, "And if you switch to formula instead of breastfeeding, or if the mother is also using antibiotics, that can lead to a lack of essential bacteria in the baby, and the end result can be very different. And if those factors are stacked up, the consequences can be even worse."

It has long been assumed that breast milk contains human milk oligosaccharides. However, research has found that this sugar is important for the development of the microbiome, and as a result it has received a great deal of attention.

Cows produce about 40 oligosaccharides, while human breast milk contains more than 100 oligosaccharides, although the number of oligosaccharides in breast milk may vary from mother to mother. In addition, breastmilk contains a special combination of hormones, antibiotics, and bacteria that meet the needs of infants.