Breast milk is the best feeding option for babies, as it contains key nutrients for their development, especially in babies born prematurely. This type of feeding makes preterm infants have better health than those who drink formula milk, but it was not known why, until now.
And it is that, a study by the Institute of Genome Sciences (IGS) of the University of Maryland (USA) has discovered that not only does the nutritional content of breast milk influence the good health of premature babies, but also the The way babies digest food could also be a determining factor.
The research, which has been published in the journal mBio, has analyzed the intestinal microbiota of 113 premature babies who came into the world between weeks 24 and 32 of gestation, some of whom were fed with breast milk and others with formula milk.
Bifidobacterium breve: beneficial intestinal bacteria in premature babies
The results showed that premature babies who drank higher amounts of breast milk had a strain of the bacteria Bifidobacterium breve, or B. breve, in their gut. They also found that these preterm babies absorbed nutrients better because they had developed a tough intestinal wall a week after birth.
“Our discovery could lead to promising and practical clinical interventions to strengthen the gut of infants and increase survival rates for the most vulnerable preterm infants.”
They found that B. breve was less prevalent in formula-fed and breastfed babies with leaky gut, as they did not develop a protective barrier against bacteria. In addition, they found that the way Bifidobacterium breve metabolizes breast milk makes young infants healthier and helps them gain weight by strengthening their underdeveloped intestinal barrier.
The gut microbiome of breastfed preterm infants with more B. breve metabolizes carbohydrates differently than that of formula-fed infants. The authors believe that this metabolic process causes the intestinal barrier to become stronger and mature faster, helping to protect fragile newborns from developing disease.
“Our discovery could lead to promising and practical clinical interventions to strengthen the gut of infants and thereby increase survival rates for the most vulnerable preterm infants,” said Dr. Bing Ma, one of the researchers at the study. And it is that, babies with an immature or leaky intestine have a higher risk of necrotizing enterocolitis.
This health problem is the third leading cause of newborn death in the world, a health problem that affects up to 10% of premature babies and has an alarming mortality rate of up to 50%.
“We will need to find the best way to prophylactically administer B. breve early in life, rather than relying on transmission from breast milk, or even from the mother’s gut or vaginal microbiota during the birthing process. This is especially critical in formula-fed premature babies,” Dr. Ma concluded.
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