P.Premature babies, also known as premature babies, face additional challenges as a result of missing out on the protection and nutrition they are supposed to receive in the womb within the first month of life. For example, because many of these babies have higher nutritional requirements, human- or bovine-derived milk fortifiers (the more concentrated formulas fed to term infants), whether they are mother’s milk or not. version) is added to the primary milk source or the donor’s. If you eat mostly formula, you’ll also get more concentrated recipes designed for that condition.
See “Why so soon?”
Two independent studies — one published on 19 August Cell hosts and microorganisms another one this week, cell report medicine— evaluated the role of these various dietary components in the development of the gut microbiota of premature infants. On the other hand, they concluded that receiving the mother’s own milk, as opposed to that from a donor, was likely more beneficial to the developing microbiome. is attached.
No clear benefit of human-derived milk fortifiers
The microbial community inhabiting the gut of premature infants bears little resemblance to that of healthy full-term babies, possibly due to antibiotic use, mother-baby separation, and delayed breastfeeding, the co-authors said. One University of Toronto nutrition scientist Deborah O’Connor said:Above Cell hosts and microorganisms A researcher who sold patents on formula fortifiers for $1 each in the late 1990s.
Meanwhile, milk-derived milk fortifiers became available as additives. However, in the last decade, human-derived milk fortifiers have become commercially available. This is an expensive option that costs around $10,000 while your baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit. Positive clinical results have been observed as a result of their use, which may be very cost-effective for premature infants, although the quality of current evidence is considered by some experts to be low. Judged.
Meghan Azad, a lactation scientist at the University of Manitoba, co-author of the second paper, cell report medicine The study, and her colleagues were interested in comparing the effects of both types of fortifiers on the microbiota of premature infants, which to date is poorly understood. Given the large differences previously observed between the use of formula and human milk in terms of bacterial composition, Azad found similar results when comparing human- or bovine-derived fortifiers that she and her collaborators designed. says he expected a big difference in A clinical trial with a small sample of 30 very low birth weight infants. (Azad was previously paid to speak at a symposium sponsored by Prolacta Biosciences, a company that sells human-based milk fortifiers and partially funds her research. .)
See Breast milk and obesity
Their results, presented this week, show that infants who received human- or bovine-derived fortifiers for 11 to 39 days (depending on gestational age at birth) had almost no diversity in their faecal microbiota. indicates that they are similar. Azad said he was surprised by these findings, and may need to study more babies to find any differences. .”
A second independent study, led by O’Connor and published last week, found significant differences in the gut microbiota of children who received different types of fortifying agents. The results are from a clinical trial of 119 very low birthweight infants who received human- or cow-based milk fortifiers for a median of 48 days and 51 days, respectively. rice field. One of their main findings was that the use of human-based fortifiers reduced microbial diversity and altered the presence and proportions of specific bacterial communities.
However, it is difficult to know whether these differences have a positive impact on children’s health. may be” and therefore associated with “improved health” because these healthy infants are full of bifidobacteria acquired from their mothers. It aids in the digestion of complex sugars found in breast milk and promotes the development of the immune system. But “it’s the opposite for premature babies,” she adds, adding that bacterial diversity is associated with faster growth, long-term neurodevelopment, and better metabolic outcomes.
Overall, O’Connor, who is currently working with Azad on another project, says the results of the two studies do not suggest that human-derived milk fortifiers significantly improve the microbial composition of premature infants. “If there is any benefit to these enhancers, it is not clear that it is mediated by the microbiome,” she concludes.
breast milk may be more important
O’Connor adds that it is unclear whether the differences they observed between the two fortifiers could be explained by the amount of milk in the final product. was a powder, but the human-derived fortifier was a liquid, creating a final product that reduced the total volume of breast milk or donor milk. In an analysis that assessed the effect of the amount of lactobacillus (supplied from either, sometimes in mixed batches) on the microbiota, an increase in mother’s own milk was associated with an increase in microbial diversity. The team also Bayonellaassociated with protection from faecal asthma in infants who received higher amounts of breast milk.
See Infant Gut Microbiome and Potential Probiotics.
The importance of milk sourcing was further emphasized in a study by Azad and her colleagues. Compared with pasteurized and frozen donated breast milk, maternal fresh breast milk was strongly associated with infant weight gain and appeared to be a major determinant of gut bacterial composition. Premature infants with high breast milk intake have a high proportion of bifidobacteria, Bayonella Their microbiome and lower levels of fecal calprotectin, a biomarker of intestinal inflammation – all of which are commonly associated with improved health.
These studies reinforce the idea that breast milk is a form of ‘personalized medicine’ that changes through a ‘feedback mechanism’ based on the needs of the infant, says Vanderbilt University. Researching organic chemist Stephen Townshend says: Do not participate in either study. For example, studies have shown that the milk of mothers who have given birth to premature babies has higher concentrations of certain molecules, such as growth factors, than the milk of mothers of full-term babies. Both papers show that “breast milk regulates the health of the baby, and in part it regulates the microbiome.”
Given how expensive human-derived enhancers are, and that their positive effects appear to be minimal, at least from a microbiological point of view, Azad recommends spending research time and effort elsewhere. I wonder if it’s better to invest, that is, in improving children’s access to maternal fortifiers. Milk milk by developing research and infrastructure to study lactation. Helping her mother to express and store her own milk, or getting an equal benefit to those who can’t, “is probably something that needs more attention,” she said. say.
