Breastfeeding benefits the infant gut

Microbe colonization in the gut of infants influences the child's health, particularly in the development of intestinal tract and immunity. Using transcriptome analysis, a new study compared the intestines and gut microbes of three-month-old infants who were exclusively breast-fed or formula-fed. Study results showed that breast-fed babies’ guts had a wider range of microbes enriched with genes associated with virulence than formula-fed infants. The researchers also found a relationship between bacterial pathogenicity and the expression of genes responsible for immunity development. Robert Chapkin from Texas A&M University said that their “findings suggest that human milk promotes the beneficial crosstalk between the immune system and microbe population in the gut, and maintains intestinal stability.”