The Role of Diet and Nutritional Interventions for the Infant Gut Microbiome

Abstract

The infant gut microbiome plays a key role in the healthy development of the human organism and appears to be influenced by dietary practices through multiple pathways. First, maternal diet during pregnancy and infant nutrition significantly influence the infant gut microbiota. Moreover, breastfeeding fosters the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, while formula feeding increases microbial diversity. The timing of introducing solid foods also influences gut microbiota composition. In preterm infants the gut microbiota development is influenced by multiple factors, including the time since birth and the intake of breast milk, and interventions such as probiotics and prebiotics supplementation show promising results in reducing morbidity and mortality in this population. These findings underscore the need for future research to understand the long-term health impacts of these interventions and for further strategies to enrich the gut microbiome of formula-fed and preterm infants.

Comparative analysis of pectin and prebiotics on human microbiota modulation in early life stages and adults

“…Bifidobacterium , specifically Bifidobacterium infantis , promotes mucosal Immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion in the gut, a crucial component for the maturation and function of the infant's immune system. 36 The decrease in Bifidobacterium populations reduces the capacity to metabolize oligosaccharides from breast milk. Probiotic supplementation with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains can potentially overcome this deficiency in C-section infants.…”

Effect of Holder Pasteurization, Mode of Delivery, and Infant’s Gender on Fatty Acid Composition of Donor Breast Milk

“…MUFAs are FAs that have one double bond between carbon atoms. Oleic acid is human milk’s primary monounsaturated fatty acid [ 15 ]. MUFAs have been associated with various health benefits, particularly cardiovascular health.…”

The role of antibiotic exposure and the effects of breastmilk and human milk feeding on the developing infant gut microbiome

“…Many of these bioactive components directly influence the developing infant microbiome. In fact, infant feeding method, particularly breastfeeding and human milk feeding, is one of the most influential aspects on the developing infant microbiome ( 6 ). As such, promoting and protecting breastfeeding and offering exclusive human milk diets, even for full-term infants, may help to mitigate potential microbiome mediated risks to child health and development.…”

“…Conversely, formula fed infants demonstrate increased α diversity early in life, which is reflective of the gut microbiome in older children ( 28 ). Further, breastfed infants have increased levels of commensal bacteria such as lactobacilli and enterococci , and reduced levels of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens , Klebsiella oxytoca , and Enterococcus faecalis ( 6 ).…”

“…pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Enterococcus faecalis(6).…”