(Press-News.org) Breastfeeding until at least nine months of age increases prevalence in the gastrointestinal tract of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, species which are known to contribute to development of a healthy immune system, according to a paper describing the establishment of the intestinal microbiota during the first three years of life. The research was published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
In the study, the investigators sampled the gut microbiota in the feces of 300 children at 9, 18, and 36 months of age. The nutritional factor with the greatest impact on the composition of the gut flora was the time of cessation of breast feeding.
"This is to our knowledge the first study to characterize the gut microbiota in such a large cohort of children for this duration," says corresponding author Tine Rask Licht, of the Technical University of Denmark.
The investigators also examined the microbiota, seeking enterotypes, or characteristic microbial communities. While enterotypes tend to be stable in adults (absent antibiotic use or major changes in diet) the investigators found that one particular enterotype-like grouping was prevalent at 18 months and another at 36 months, but that children frequently flipped a few times between the two.
"This indicates that the microbiota is still not completely stably established until after this time," says Licht.
"The research could ultimately lead to supplementation of infant formulas—or food for adults—with specific bacteria or carbohydrates expected to promote a healthy gut microbiota," says Licht. She and her collaborators are currently involved in studies testing effects of such pro- and prebiotics in animal models as well as in humans, she says, noting that in Denmark, several multinational companies are also involved in this research.
INFORMATION:
The manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip0314d. The final version of the article is scheduled for the May 2014 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology is a publication of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.
Studies of gut flora in infants and toddlers could lead to better health
2014-03-20
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Improved pavement markings can save lives
2014-03-20
This news release is available in French. Montreal, March 19, 2014 — As spring finally emerges after a ferocious winter,, our battered roads will soon be re-exposed. While potholes and cracks might make news, a bigger concern should be the deterioration to pavement markings, from yellow to white lines, which are a big factor in preventing traffic accidents.
A study from Concordia University, funded by Infrastructure Canada and published in Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, found that snowplows are the biggest culprit in erasing roadway markings.
The research ...
USF study finds stem cell combination therapy improves traumatic brain injury outcomes
2014-03-20
Tampa, FL (Mar. 20, 2014) – Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), sustained by close to 2 million Americans annually, including military personnel, are debilitating and devastating for patients and their families. Regardless of severity, those with TBI can suffer a range of motor, behavioral, intellectual and cognitive disabilities over the short or long term. Sadly, clinical treatments for TBI are few and largely ineffective.
In an effort to find an effective therapy, neuroscientists at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Department of Neurosurgery in the ...
Can 'love hormone' protect against addiction?
2014-03-20
Addictive behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse could be associated with poor development of the so-called "love hormone" system in our bodies during early childhood, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide.
The groundbreaking idea has resulted from a review of worldwide research into oxytocin, known as the "love hormone" or "bonding drug" because of its important role in enhancing social interactions, maternal behavior and partnership.
This month's special edition of the international journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior deals with the current ...
A*STAR scientists create stem cells from a drop of blood
2014-03-20
1. Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have developed a method to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from a single drop of finger-pricked blood. The method also enables donors to collect their own blood samples, which they can then send to a laboratory for further processing. The easy access to blood samples using the new technique could potentially boost the recruitment of greater numbers and diversities of donors, and could lead to the establishment of large-scale hiPSC banks.
2. By genetic reprogramming, matured ...
Algae may be a potential source of biofuels and biochemicals even in cool climate
2014-03-20
Algae are organisms useful in many ways in the transition towards a bio-economy. Even in a cool climate as in Finland, algae might be used to produce biochemicals and biofuels, besides use in capture of industrial carbon dioxide emissions. The ALGIDA project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland explored algae growing in Finland.
Algae are not yet profitably cultivated for energy production purposes. The cultivation is challenging especially in cool climate where there is little daylight in winter.
Production is expensive compared with wood and agricultural ...
Genes play key role in parenting
2014-03-20
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Scientists have presented the most conclusive evidence yet that genes play a significant role in parenting.
A study by two Michigan State University psychologists refutes the popular theory that how adults parent their children is strictly a function of the way they were themselves parented when they were children.
While environmental factors do play a role in parenting, so do a person's genes, said S. Alexandra Burt, associate professor of psychology and co-author of a study led by doctoral student Ashlea M. Klahr.
"The way we parent is not ...
Surgery after major stroke also improves survival odds in elderly patients
2014-03-20
Patients who are over the age of 60 and have suffered a major stroke due to blockage of the middle cerebral artery benefit from hemicraniectomy – removal of part of the skull located above the affected brain tissue. The procedure relieves increased pressure on the brain in the first 48 hours after the stroke. These patients' chances of survival increase two-fold if they undergo surgery. However, patients who have been operated on often survive with severe disabilities, while patients who do not undergo the surgery generally die quickly. These findings were obtained in a ...
Cognitive function and oral perception in independently-living octogenarians
2014-03-20
Alexandria, Va., USA – Today, at the 43rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), held in conjunction with the 38th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, Kazunori Ikebe, from Osaka University, Japan, will present a research study titled "Cognitive Function and Oral Perception in Independently-living Octogenarians."
In this study, researchers hypothesized that the decline of cognitive impairment is involved in oral perceptions since its preclinical stage. The aim of this study was to examine association ...
Amphibians and dinosaurs were the new large predators after the mass extinction
2014-03-20
252 million years ago the largest extinction event occurred at the end of the Permian age. It wiped out almost 90 percent of all life in water. So far researchers had assumed that the ecosystems gradually recovered from this catastrophe over a long stretch of eight to nine million years and that large predators at the uppermost end of the food chain were the last to reappear. A Swiss-American team of palaeontologists headed by Torsten Scheyer and Carlo Romano from the University of Zurich demonstrate in their new study that the food nets during the Early Triassic did not ...
Elsevier's Maturitas publishes position statement on menopause for medical students
2014-03-20
Amsterdam, March 20, 2014 – Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the publication of a position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) in the journal Maturitas on the topic of the essential menopause curriculum for medical students.
The menopause, or the cessation of the menstrual cycle, is the result of ovarian aging and is a natural event experienced by most women in their late 40s or early 50s. With increasing longevity the menopause can now be considered ...