Sugar in breast milk protects babies against deadly infection

Sugar in breast milk protects babies against deadly infection

Sugar in breast milk protects babies against deadly infection, according to a new study from Imperial College London.

The sugar, which is naturally found in some women’s breast milk helps protect from the potentially life-threatening bacterium called Group B streptococcus.

Every woman’s breast milk has a mixture of different types of nutrients and sugars called human milk oligosaccharides. These sugars feed the ‘good bacteria’ in the baby’s intestines.

The researchers studied a number of participants, and found that breast milk containing the sugar – lacto-n-difucohexaose I – was better at eliminating the Group B streptoccous bacteria when compared to breast milk without this sugar.

About half of the women on the planet are believed to produce this sugar within their breast milk.

Dr Nicholas Andreas, lead author of the research from the Department of Medicine at Imperial said: “Although this is early-stage research it demonstrates the complexity of breast milk, and the benefits it may have for the baby. Increasingly, research is suggesting these breast milk sugars (human milk oligosaccharides) may protect against infections in the newborn, such as rotavirus and Group B streptococcus, as well as boosting a child’s “friendly” gut bacteria.”

Dr Andreas, who is a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for International Child Health at Imperial, also suggested that testing new mothers’ blood for the Lewis gene may be beneficial: “If we know whether a mother is colonised with Group B streptococcus and know if she carries an active copy of the Lewis gene, it may give us an indication of how likely she is to pass the bacteria on to her baby, and more personalised preventive measures could be applied.”

The study showing that a sugar in breast milk protects babies against deadly infection was published in the journal Clinical & Translational Immunology.

Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.

DON’T FORGET to sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our latest articles, updates, free recipes and giveaways.

Walnut blueberry smoothie for breastfeeding moms.
5 foods to avoid while breastfeeding.
How can breastfeeding prevent over 800,000 deaths every year?

REFERENCES:
1. “Breast Milk Sugar May Protect Babies against Deadly Infection.” Imperial College London. Imperial College London, n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2016.
2. “Role of Human Milk Oligosaccharides in Group B Streptococcus Colonisation.” Clinical & Translational Immunology. Nature Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2016.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Yes, I would like to receive emails from StepIn2MyGreenWorld. Sign me up!


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact