How to Boost A Baby’s Immune System with Probiotics in Breast Milk

When it comes to disease prevention, there is nothing more important than your own immune system and making sure it is as healthy as possible. Immune cells and bacteria in our mother’s womb are the first living organisms we encounter. That’s why probiotics in breast milk help boost a newborn’s immune response to its new environment.

Gut bacteria and immunity

The immune system is your body’s frontline defense against pathogens, bacteria, diseases, and more. Our T-cells and B-cells ensure we’re not sick all the time, or worse–-combating gastrointestinal distress and chronic illness.

When you get infected, your body immediately releases an immune response and goes to fight off the attacker. Once the harmful intestinal flora, inflammation, or virus is suppressed, your body generates antibodies.

Antibodies are specifically designed to fight off the attacker if it ever comes again. This biological process is the backbone behind the theory of why vaccines have helped reduce the instances of measles, mumps, and Polio over the past several decades 1.

Probiotics in breast milk benefits for baby

All of the benefits that can be seen transferring from mom to the child comes from a little-known substance known as Colostrum 2. Colostrum is a fluid that comes out with breast milk for a few days after the baby is born. This promotes the growth and well-being of the infant.

When babies are fed formula instead of probiotics in breast milk, this may change the baby’s whole body composition 3.

This composition change is because Colostrum has many hormones, growth factors, and antioxidants, which can increase muscle growth and ligament repair over time.

Experiments on Colostrum are often done using cow’s milk. This choice is because these animals have a far higher concentration of Colostrum than human breast milk does. These studies have found a ton of significant effects on mice as well as on humans who used it.

For instance, studies have shown that athletes who used Colostrum have higher lean muscle mass and better performance after a period of 8 weeks 4.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics in breast milk are important for newborns developing into children without health issues.

In a study on the long-term effects of breastfeeding, WHO stated,

“Breastfeeding was associated with a lower risk of type-2 diabetes.”

– WHO

Without breastfeeding, the child is far more prone to diseases and infections early on in life and might be more susceptible to obesity 5. With that being said, it’s always a woman’s decision.

There are always ways to raise a healthy child without breastfeeding. For many, breastfeeding is a natural and more efficient option. Here are some reasons why it works so well for many.

There have been plenty of studies to date that show a positive effect of Colostrum on a wide variety of factors. For instance, a mouse study done gave one group of mice Colostrum and then infected them with influenza. The mice that had Colostrum were better able to handle influenza, in comparison to the control group 6.

It is believed that Colostrum binds to pathogens, viruses, and allergens and neutralizes them. This helps keep the baby from suffering from sickness while the body is still adjusting to the outside world.

Colostrum is also rich in proline-rich polypeptides, otherwise known as PRPs. These appear to help regulate the immune system in infants and maintain a balance within their bodies 7.

Due to this, PRPs can reduce inflammation. This puts less pressure on the immune system, allowing these cells to function better against dangers.

Provides prebiotics

One of the more critical benefits of Colostrum would be the fact that it seems to be extremely useful when it comes to gut health. Since these fluids allow the cells to bind tightly together, Colostrum may be able to prevent things such as inflammation or gastrointestinal distress.

Besides probiotics in breast milk, there is also prebiotics. Prebiotics are food for beneficial bacteria in the gut. Gut bacteria will consume carbohydrates in foods. That lends the gut bacteria to thrive.

Breast milk prebiotics is also known as human milk oligosaccharides. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll call human oligosaccharides “sugars.”

These sugars in breast milk help feed the intestinal flora in the infant’s stomach. Sugars in breast milk can’t be broken down by the infant’s digestive system, so it serves as energy for beneficial bacteria to grow and flourish.

Improves infant gut microbiome

The milk itself also contains a ton of probiotics. So basically, it is a microbiome of its own. This makes a lot of sense if you consider what milk is for. It is explicitly designed to help a young baby grow quickly and effectively. Milk provides all of the nutrients, growth factors, and probiotics that a baby needs to thrive.

Since the mother and the baby spend so much time close to each other, the infant’s immune system can learn to gradually cope with a lot of the same pathogens and bacteria that the mother is already used to.

Boosts metabolism

If these are the benefits that are seen in full-grown adults, just imagine what it must be like for infants who consume it from their mothers. These benefits are not only helpful for growing newborns but actually vital for them as well.

Antibiotics and breastfeeding

Preterm infants of a cesarean section must get plenty of breast milk or fortified infant formula. A formula-fed infant needs vitamins and minerals that are similar to those they had in their mother’s gut to help transition into this new world.

Many mothers will also receive antibiotics after a cesarean section. They are found to be 60% effective in fighting the spread of pathogenic microbes 9.

Inevitably, antibiotics will permeate into breast milk. Antibiotics are deemed safe by the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 10.

Probiotic supplements for mothers

Antibiotics can wipe out beneficial bacteria in a mother’s gut. In turn, they can become more susceptible to pathogenic overgrowth. These microbes can compromise the baby, too.

One study looked at probiotic intervention on new mothers and the infant gut microbiota. They looked at children who were born from a caesarian section and those with natural birth. Some of the mothers were given a placebo.

Other mothers had a probiotic supplement containing:

• Bifidobacterium breve Bb99 (Bp99 2 × 108 CFU)
• Propionibacterium freundenreichii subsp. shermaniiJS (2 × 109 CFU)
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lc705 (5 × 109 CFU)
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus G (5 × 109 CFU)

Results found,

“In the placebo group, both birth mode and antibiotic use were significantly associated with altered microbiota composition and function, particularly reduced Bifidobacterium abundance. In the probiotic group, the effects of antibiotics and birth mode were either completely eliminated or reduced 11.”

With the right probiotic strain, you might be able to help your own gut microbiome. In turn, you will pass these benefits along to the breastfed infant!

Fermented foods

If you want to improve your gut bacteria without a probiotic supplement, eat fermented foods. These are teeming with probiotic bacteria that nourish your gut and enrich your breast milk.

Some of the best-fermented foods for breastfeeding moms include:

• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Kefir
• Miso
• Tempeh