Another reason to favor exclusive breastfeeding: microbiome resilience
Journal Title: Jornal de Pediatria - Year 2018, Vol 94, Issue 3
Abstract
Knowledge of the human microbiome has rapidly accelerated thanks to the Human Microbiome Project and the increasing availability of culture independent high-throughput sequencing technology. With these new tools, we have come to appreciate the extensive complexity and dynamics of the human microbiome, particularly the one which colonizes our gastrointestinal tract. While some studies appear to suggest a rather chaotic, random establishment of the human gut microbiome early in life, the latest research seems to suggest a carefully planned design based on the co-evolutionary integration of our genome composition and function with the epigenetic influence of the symbiotic microbiome. Therefore, any departure from the evolutionary plan on how proper microbiome engraftment should occur, including maternal lifestyle and diet, mode of delivery, feeding regimen, exposure to antibiotics, and home environment,1,2 just to name a few, may have potentially detrimental clinical consequences. Indeed, there is now evidence suggesting that the microbiome-mediated maturation of epithelial barriers and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) impacts the capacity of the host to develop responses that maintain normal homeostasis and prevent aberrant pro-inflammatory or allergic responses. This implies that disruptions in the development of a healthy microbiome ecosystem early in life can have lasting effects.3
Authors and Affiliations
Alessio Fasano
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP485011
- DOI 10.1016/j.jped.2017.10.002
- Views 48
- Downloads 0
Combinations of laxatives and green banana biomass on the treatment of functional constipation in children and adolescents: a randomized study
Objectives Evaluate the effect of combinations of green banana biomass and laxatives in children and adolescents with chronic constipation. Methods This was a randomized study of 80 children and adolescents with functio...
Acute kidney injury in HIV-infected children: comparison of patients according to the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy
Objective To assess clinical and laboratory data, and acute kidney injury (AKI) in HIV-infected children using and not using highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) prior to admission. Methods A retrospective study...
Establishment of nasal breathing should be the ultimate goal to secure adequate craniofacial and airway development in children
As shown for many years and studied again by Chambi-Rocha et al.1 in this issue of the Journal, chronic mouth breathing during active craniofacial development of a child may result in anatomical changes that directly aff...
Reference curves of the body fat index in adolescents and their association with anthropometric variables
Objectives To develop reference curves for the body fat index (BFI) in the pediatric population, in adolescents from the city of São Paulo, Brazil, and verify their association with body mass index and body fat percentag...
Chromosomal microarrays testing in children with developmental disabilities and congenital anomalies
Objectives Clinical use of microarray-based techniques for the analysis of many developmental disorders has emerged during the last decade. Thus, chromosomal microarray has been positioned as a first-tier test. This stud...