breast milk Gut Flora

Who Would Have Known? Breast Milk Boosts Beneficial Growth of Gut Flora

Adding more weight to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's insistence that breastfeeding is crucial to help normalize an infant's microflora hence protecting against disease and developmental problems, a first-of-its-kind study on human breast milk and its impact on infants' gut flora gives new insight on why breast milk is better than formula at protecting newborns from infectious illness.

The study's author, William Parker, explained that breast milk appears to promote a healthy colonization of beneficial biofilms. Previous research has already established that breast milk reduces diarrhea, flu, and respiratory infections in babies, as well as lowers their risk of developing allergies, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.

According to Duke University

This study is the first we know of that examines the effects of infant nutrition on the way that bacteria grow, providing insight to the mechanisms underlying the benefits of breast feeding over formula feeding for newborns,' said William Parker, PhD, associate professor of surgery at Duke and senior author of the study.

Only breast milk appears to promote a healthy colonization of beneficial biofilms, and these insights suggest there may be potential approaches for developing substitutes that more closely mimic those benefits in cases where breast milk cannot be provided.

The researchers grew bacteria in samples of three popular brands each of milk- and soy-based infant formulas, cow's milk, and breast milk. All samples were incubated with two strains of beneficial E.coli bacteria while some E.coli cause violent disease, other 'friendly cousins' actually serve helpful roles. While the bacteria rapidly multiplied in all the specimens, there was one major difference. In the breast milk specimens, the bacteria formed biofilms, whereas the bacteria in the whole milk and the different infant formulas grew as individual organisms and failed to form into a biofilm.

This is indeed important. Biofilms are essentially thin, sticky bacterial "sheaths" that adhere to your intestinal wall, where they serve as a shield, effectively blocking out pathogens and infectious agents. This is an essential part of the "healing and sealing" of your gut that Dr. Campbell-McBride's GAPS protocol accomplishes.

According to Duke University

This study adds even more weight to an already large body of evidence that breast milk is the most nutritious way to feed a baby whenever possible," said Gabriela M. Maradiaga Panayotti, M.D., co-director of the newborn nursery for Duke Children's and Duke Primary Care. "We know that babies who receive breast milk have better outcomes in many ways, and mother who breast feed also have improved health outcomes, including decreased risks of cancer. Whenever possible, promoting breast feeding is the absolute best option for mom and baby.