A small study from the University of North Carolina (UNC) adds to the growing list of breast-feeding benefits. issue of Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, the research suggests that exclusively breastfed babies are better equipped to transition to solids and are more likely to experience fewer stomach problems than non-exclusively breastfed babies.
For the study, researchers from the UNC School of Medicine and UNC College of Arts and Sciences collected stool samples and information about the diets and health of nine babies ages 2 weeks to 4 months. Using genomic sequencing techniques, the team determined there were distinct differences in the digestive tract bacteria – known as gut microbiomes – taken from the babies who were breast-fed only and those who received both breast milk and formula.
“We found that babies who were fed only breast milk have microbial communities that seem more ready for the introduction of solid foods,” senior author Andrea Azcarate-Peril, PhD, an assistant professor in the UNC department of cell biology and physiology, said in a university news release.
“The transition to solids is much more dramatic for the microbiomes of babies that are not exclusively breastfed. We think the microbiomes of the non-exclusively breastfed babies could contribute to more stomach aches and colic,” added Azcarate-Peril, who is also the director of the UNC Microbiome Core Facility.
The researchers found that the gut bacteria in exclusively breastfed babies tended to be less diverse and were dominated by Bifidobacterium, a type of bacteria considered beneficial to digestion. Infants fed a mixture of breast milk and formula had a lower proportion of this “good” bacteria.
The study findings suggest the make-up of the gut microbiome can affect a baby’s ability to digest food. Because gut bacteria is thought to play a role in obesity, allergies and gastrointestinal problems, microbiome make-up may also impact long-term health.
“We can see from our data that including formula in an infant’s diet does change the gut bacteria even if you are also breastfeeding,” first author Amanda Thompson, PhD, an associate professor in the UNC department of anthropology and a Carolina Population Center faculty fellow, said in the news release. “Exclusive breastfeeding seems to really smooth out the transition to solid foods,” Thompson added.
