Mother's genes can influence bacteria in her baby's gut
Friday, April 10, 2015 - 10:30
in Health & Medicine
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, researchers have discovered. The researchers emphasized that the finding does not suggest that breast milk from mothers without an active copy of the gene is less nourishing or healthy. Rather, it conveys the subtle and elegant choreography of one part of the human microbiome: The relationships between the mothers' genetics, the composition of her breast milk and the development of her infant's gut microbiota. It also reveals clues for enriching desirable bacteria in populations at risk of intestinal diseases -- such as preemies.