- Researchers at the Karolinska Institute found a connection between breastfeeding, beneficial gut bacteria, and immune system development.
- A “friendly” strain of bacteria available in breast milk may help infants develop robust gut health.
- For infants who aren’t breastfed, supplements may be an option to consider.
New research finds there’s a critical time for priming immune system development and reducing systemic inflammation in the first 100 days after birth.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found a connection between breastfeeding, beneficial gut bacteria, and immune system development.
The study, published this month in the journal Cell, is the first to show how a strain of “friendly” bacteria called activated Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001 (B. infantis) influences immune system development in infants, and could reduce the risk of allergic and autoimmune conditions later in life.
“This study and some early data from other sources including human and animal studies seems to imply that there could be correlation between the presence of beneficial gut bacteria in infants and a protection from the development of allergic diseases,” Punita Ponda, MD, assistant chief in the division of allergy and immunology at Northwell Health in New York, told Healthline.
Source: healthline