Being delivered via C-section, exposed to antibiotics or fed formula can seriously decrease the diversity of a baby’s microbiome. This is problematic because it’s the mix of bacteria in the gut that helps develop a human’s digestion, metabolism and immunity.
“Our results provide evidence that modern practices change a baby’s microbial communities in ways that last through the first year,” said senior author of the study Martin Blaser, MD. “The big, remaining question is whether or not changes in this timeframe, even if resolved later on, affect the founding of microbiomes with lifetime consequences for a child’s immune function and metabolism.”
Based on a study of the intestinal microbiota development in 43 New York children, 24 of whom were born by vaginal delivery and 19 by C-section, the researchers were able to watch how antibiotics and formula affect a child’s health in the first two years of life.
The research team discovered the microbiota maturation stagnated in infants delivered via C-section between six months and two years of age. Similarly, children exposed to antibiotics or fed formula instead of breast milk showed delayed microbiota maturation, but the delay was not as noticeable until the second year of life.
To read the full study in the journal Science Translational Medicine, click here.
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Common antimicrobial agent quickly disrupts gut microbiomes, study finds
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