Abstract
Aside from nutritional components, human milk is rich in microorganisms. Through breastfeeding these microorganisms are introduced to the infant gut where they may transiently or persistently colonize it. Therefore, the human milk microbiota may be an important factor which shapes the infant gut microbiota further influencing infant health and disease. In the current review we aim to give a brief updated insight into the putative origin of the human milk microbiota, its constituents and the possible factors that shape it. Understanding the factors that determine the human milk microbiota composition and function will aid developing optimal postnatal feeding and intervention strategies to reduce the risk of communicable and noncommunicable diseases.
Highlights
Life nutrition is associated with the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including obesity, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes
Multiple studies have highlighted that the use of human milk (HM) has a positive effect on various infant diseases and conditions including respiratory infections and diarrhea as well as necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates
Significant differences in the human milk microbiota (HMM) according to the gestational age have been reported, with higher levels of Enterococcus and lower levels of Bifidobacterium observed in the milk of preterm-delivering mothers compared to those who gave birth on the expected birth date.[59]
Summary
Life nutrition is associated with the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including obesity, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes. Breastfeeding may protect mothers from ovarian cancer, breast cancer and diabetes and offer longÀterm maternal cardiovascular health benefits.[1,2] On the other hand, prolonged breastfeeding for at least eight months has been associated with low average blood glucose levels in infants born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.[3] In addition, multiple studies have highlighted that the use of human milk (HM) has a positive effect on various infant diseases and conditions including respiratory infections and diarrhea as well as necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates. HM is viewed as the ideal source of nutrients for infants and contains a variety of compounds that might affect infant immunity (i.e., human milk oligosaccharides, antibodies, cytokines, human cells and extracellular vesicles).[4,5] Besides essential nutrients and bioactive molecules, HM at first thought sterile, is found to contain commensal microbes, which have the
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