A new study has shown how and why breastfed babies have stronger, long-term immune systems
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousThat thebreastfeeding both a cure-all for mothers and children has been amply proven. Now a new study from the University of Birmingham has shown how and why breastfed babies have stronger, long-term immune systems.
Research conducted by the University of Birmingham and the NHS Foundation has uncovered some biological mechanisms linked to the long-term positive effects on children's health in preventing immune system disorders. Other studies had already shown that babies who receive breast milk have less likely to develop asthma, obesity and autoimmune diseases in vitto compared to those who are fed exclusively with artificial milk. However, until now, the immunological mechanisms responsible for these effects were less well known.
The study, published in Allergy, is the culmination of a three-year research project that analyzed data from 38 healthy mothers and their babies. Small amounts of blood and stool samples were collected at birth at Birmingham Women's Hospital and then again during home visits when the babies were three weeks old. Among these, 16 of the 38 infants (42%) were exclusively breastfed for the duration of the study, while 9 received mixed feeding and 13 were fed exclusively formula milk.
In this way, the researchers discovered for the first time that a specific type of immune cell called regulatory T cells, they increase in the first three weeks of life in breastfed babies and are nearly twice as high as in formula-fed babies. These cells also control the baby's immune response against the maternal cells transferred with milk. Research has shown that specific bacteria, called Veillonella and Gemella, which support regulatory T cell function, are more abundant in the gut of breastfed babies.
“The influence of the type of milk received on the development of the immune response has not previously been studied in the first weeks of life. Prior to our research, the exceptional importance and early involvement of this specific cell type in breastfed infants was unknown. We hope this invaluable new insight will lead to increased breastfeeding rates and will see more babies reaping the benefits of receiving breast milk. Furthermore, we hope for those children who are formula-fed that these results will help to optimize their composition in order to exploit these immunological mechanisms "
said senior author Gergely Toldi, a researcher at the University of Birmingham and a neonatologist and consultant at the Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
Researchers now hope to further study this biological mechanism in sick and premature infants who have developed inflammatory complications.
Mother's milk, the best medicine food.
Sources of reference: University of Birmingham, Allergy
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