Probiotic supplementation restores beneficial gut bacteria in breastfed infants

Probiotic supplementation restores beneficial gut bacteria in breastfed infants

In recent years, scientists have discovered that the most important beneficial intestinal bacteria are for infantsBifidobacterium infantisdisappear in infants in resource-rich areas such as the United States and Europe. Now a new study has been published in the scientific journalmSpherefound that supplementing exclusively breastfed infants with a probiotic,B. infantisEVC001 can successfully restore beneficial bacteria in their gut between 2 and 4 months of age.

The REMEDI study shows that it is not too late to restore a healthy gut microbiome in breastfed infants.B. infantiscan successfully establish itself even after the newborn period.”

Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., corresponding study author, assistant professor of Cooperative Extension, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis

A healthy gut microbiome at a young age is associated with gut health, immune system formation and development, and overall health of the infant. Unlike many probioticsB. infantisis specifically designed to thrive on breast milk oligosaccharides, the natural sugars found in breast milk, so they persist and don't simply pass through the intestines.

Researchers conducted the REMEDI study to test whether the benefits they had previously observed in a study of fed newborns were effectiveB. infantisin addition to breast milk could be reproduced in older, exclusively breastfed infants with more established gut microbiomes that may be resistant to change.

The researchers tested how different the dosage isB. infantisProbiotics (high, medium and low, as well as a placebo) affected the gut bacteria of exclusively breastfed infants. The infants provided stool samples before, during and after taking the supplement, and researchers analyzed these to see how their microbiome responded. The researchers tested whether lower doses ofB. infantiswhich are commercially available, showed similar effects to the newborn study, which used a high doseB. infantisprobiotic.

This is what the researchers found outB. infantiswas able to successfully increase beneficial intestinal bacteria in older, exclusively breastfed infants, even after the newborn period. All doses tested worked and the beneficial bacteria remained present even after supplementation was stopped.

“These results suggest thatB. infantis“Dietary supplementation can restore the infant gut even beyond the newborn stage,” Smilowitz said. “Unlike many probiotics, which disappear as soon as supplementation stops,B. infantiswas able to settle in combination with breast milk and remain in the intestine because it naturally contains the breast milk oligosaccharides it needs for growth. This means that even short-term supplementation at varying doses can have lasting benefits for breastfed infants. The finding that all tested doses were effective suggests that this approach may be adaptable to real-world settings where access, timing or dose may vary.”

The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies in the life sciences and consists of over 38,000 scientists and physicians. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, education, and advocacy. It expands laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It offers a network for scientists from science, industry and clinical practice. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of microbial sciences among all audiences.

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