Allergies - immunity

A recent study demonstrates the advantages of breastfeeding in lowering the incidence of paediatric asthma after antibiotic treatment. According to the study, breastfed infants had a threefold reduced chance of developing asthma after antibiotic treatment than those who were not. Fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), one of the bioactive components of breastmilk, were positively linked to the enrichment of Bifidobacter infantis (B. infantis) in the infant gut microbiota. This was associated with a lower incidence of asthma. The study adds to the understanding of how HMOs found in breastmilk, and B. infantis can protect kids against asthma and pave the way for the development of novel treatments to promote infant gut health and lower asthma risk in children. 

Immune cells that are ready to take action against invaders like bacteria have been found in women's breast milk, researchers say. They say the presence of this SWAT team of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells, or ILCs, in human breast milk is more evidence of the benefits of breastfeeding. Short term, the ILCs in breast milk may help protect newborns from infection, and longer term help babies develop their own protective immune system, they report in JAMA Pediatrics.