Human milk does more than nourish, it also delivers beneficial microbes that help build the infant gut microbiome. A new study from the University of Chicago offers the most detailed look yet at how bacterial strains in breast milk are transferred to babies. The findings shed new light on early-life microbial transmission and its potential impact on long-term health.
Another reason to promote breastfeeding: It protects babies against antibiotic resistance
21 Oct 2025by Cristina Sáez
The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in children’s health, but factors such as cesarean birth and early antibiotic exposure can disrupt it. A new study shows that exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first month of life can help restore microbial balance and limit antibiotic resistance genes.
Early exposure to air pollution linked to negative changes in infant gut microbiota
25 Oct 2022by Cristina Sáez
Inhaling air pollutants during the first 6 months of life could affect a baby’s intestinal bacteria, causing changes in its composition associated with a higher risk of developing allergies, obesity and diabetes, and even influence brain development, concludes a new study.
Diet plays a key role in early life by modulating gut microbiota, thus affecting overall health
9 Jun 2021by Cristina Sáez
Numerous studies have been published on the impact of factors such as nutrition in early life, mode of delivery and antibiotic intake during this critical period and for future health. With that in mind, scientists have reviewed all the scientific data available on the impact of early life nutrition on the gut microbiota and the long-lasting effects on the brain.
What you eat while pregnant may affect your baby’s gut microbiota and growth
21 Oct 2020by Cristina Sáez
A new study concludes that what mothers eat while pregnant shapes their gut microbiota composition and that, in turn, has an effect on the composition of their babies’ gut microbial community.
A study, which was the largest in the field and published in JAMA Pediatrics, reveals that breastfeeding favors the implantation of a healthy gut microbiota in babies.
Maternal psychological distress after birth can affect a child’s gut microbiota development and thus, their overall health, according to a recent study.
Aging-related changes also occur within our digestive tract. Diet and host genetics are critical determinants of gut microbial composition and function, whose origins go back to the moment of birth.
Breast milk and maternal gut microbiota affect antibiotic resistant bacteria in the infant gut
4 Sep 2019by Cristina Sáez
A new study, published in Nature Communications, determines that the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in babies may come from their mothers, not only through childbirth but also through breastfeeding.
From the moment we are conceived until we are 1000 days old, nutrition and gut microbiota play an essential role in laying the foundations of our health later in life.
