“It was once thought that the nutrients and bioactives in human milk were transferred directly to the nursing infant in a linear manner”. “Now there is considerable evidence that
, that modulate specific microbial populations to impact infant health and wellness,” Sela says.
‘Human milk establishes the microbiome in the infant gut through oligosaccharides.’
The study shows that the, Bifidobacterium infantis (a beneficial bacterium present in the gut of the infants) utilizes the mother’s milk products including those the infants don’t digest. It makes use of urea (the waste product) as a nitrogen source.
The urea nitrogen connection is important in ruminant animals, and plays a critical role in infant nutrition.
According to Sela “We want to characterize mechanistically what is going on within the microbes themselves. We’re trying to reduce the system into its components and then paint the larger picture once we understand the smaller aspects of it,”
More studies are needed to see the relationship between nitrogen in human milk and infant development.
Source: Medindia
