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In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week (1 – 7 August), we sat down with Professor Valerie Verhasselt to ask her some of the top questions about breastfeeding and immunology.
Common food allergens have been detected in breast milk with wide inter-individual variations in concentrations. As maternal factors, such as age, smoking, and body mass index have been associated with breast milk composition, we aimed to identify maternal characteristics associated with the concentration of food allergens in breast milk.
The human milk microbiome is dominated by typical oral and skin bacteria, suggesting that bacterial communities from the infant mouth and maternal skin contribute to the development of the human milk microbiome. It is postulated that breastfeeding characteristics, such as breastfeeding frequency and duration, could lead to different levels of exposure to oral and skin bacteria, and subsequently, altered bacterial profiles in human milk.
Human milk is characterised by its complex composition, consisting of nutrient and bioactive components that play a crucial role in infant health. Although the infant oral cavity is directly exposed to these components during breastfeeding, their effects on the developing oral microbiome remains underexplored.
The predisposition to food allergy development and the induction of allergen-specific immune responses appears to be initiated early in infancy. Early exposure to food allergens, such as peanut and cashew nut, via human milk is likely important in initiating oral tolerance and reducing risk of food allergy development. This trial aims to determine if the risk of developing peanut and cashew nut allergy during infancy can be reduced by a high peanut and cashew nut maternal diet during lactation.
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the infodemic has been highly visible. Vaccine-related advice and evidence-based guidelines for breastfeeding women have lagged, and, at times have been contradictory and confusing. Breastfeeding is an important public health issue with long-lasting health benefits for infants and mothers.
In addition to being a source of nutrients for the developing newborn, human milk contains thousands of bioactive compounds, which influence infant health in the short-term as exemplified by its major benefits on infectious disease prevention. Many of the human milk compounds also have the required characteristics to instruct immune development and guide long-term health.
Preterm infants are at a high risk of developing late-onset sepsis (LOS). Lactoferrin is one of the most abundant endogenous antimicrobial proteins expressed in breast milk, stools, and blood, and a candidate for preventive intervention. Large clinical trials have recently investigated whether enteral supplementation with bovine lactoferrin reduces LOS.
This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of three interventions designed to increase the duration of breastfeeding among new parents in urban areas.
Despite high breastfeeding initiation rates in Australia, few mothers exclusively breastfeed their infants to six months. This is particularly evident in...