Breast-Fed Babies Have Better Immune Systems

As soon as a baby is born, his intestinal tract is colonized by friendly bacteria, probiotics that promote the digestion of nutrients and help the immune system develop.

There’s a quick way to boost the development of those good bugs: Breast-feed. A study performed by collaborating researchers from the University of Illinois, Texas A&M University, Miami University and the University of Arkansas shows that breast milk feeds microbes that help a baby’s immune system mature.

The study shows that babies fed only breast milk have a more diverse bacterial colonization than formula-fed babies. The scientists also found a link between the expression of genes in the bacteria and genes of the immune system in the baby.

“The findings show that human milk feeding promotes the beneficial microbe population in the gut and crosstalk between these bacteria and the immune system of the infant and are helping us to define exactly why breast is best,” says scientist Sharon Donovan of the University of Illinois.