A mother's genes can influence the bacteria in her baby's gut

Thursday, April 9, 2015 - 17:20 in Health & Medicine

Researchers at UC Davis have found that a gene, which is not active in some mothers, produces a breast milk sugar that influences the development of the community of gut bacteria in her infant. The sugars produced by these mothers, called "secretors," are not digested by the infant, but instead nourish specific bacteria that colonize the babies' guts soon after birth.

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