Abstract
The assembly of the newborn's gut microbiota during the first months of life is an orchestrated process resulting in specialized microbial ecosystems in the different gut compartments. This process is highly dependent upon environmental factors, and many evidences suggest that early bacterial gut colonization has long-term consequences on host digestive and immune homeostasis but also metabolism and behavior. The early life period is therefore a “window of opportunity” to program health through microbiota modulation. However, the implementation of this promising strategy requires an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms governing gut microbiota assembly. Breastfeeding has been associated with a healthy microbiota in infants. Human milk is a complex food matrix, with numerous components that potentially influence the infant microbiota composition, either by enhancing specific bacteria growth or by limiting the growth of others. The objective of this review is to describe human milk composition and to discuss the established or purported roles of human milk components upon gut microbiota establishment. Finally, the impact of maternal diet on human milk composition is reviewed to assess how maternal diet could be a simple and efficient approach to shape the infant gut microbiota.
Highlights
Under normal circumstances, the gut microbiota has a symbiotic relationship with the host
human milk (HM) contains many small molecules (
Mai et al demonstrated in vitro that HM promoted the growth of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938, a strain originally isolated from HM, and its secretion of potentially beneficial metabolites [152], suggesting that HM could favor the growth and metabolism of HM bacteria, generating specific bacterial metabolites
Summary
Gaëlle Boudry 1*, Elise Charton 1,2, Isabell Le Huerou-Luron 1, Stéphanie Ferret-Bernard 1, Sophie Le Gall 3,4, Sergine Even 2 and Sophie Blat 1. Reviewed by: Sharon Marie Donovan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States. Specialty section: This article was submitted to Nutrition and Microbes, a section of the journal
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