Annales 83.1 - Building Blocks of Infant Health: Breast Milk, Microbiome, and Beyond

The human infant’s transition from a placental to mammary supply line for nutrients, and then from breastmilk to specialised complementary foods, and then on to the adult diet, needs to be well managed to achieve the most successful outcomes. Likewise, the transition from an aseptic environment in utero to a sudden exposure to thousands of antigens and living organisms, some of which are pathogenic, also requires an exquisitely orchestrated series of immunological adaptations. Breastmilk plays a central role in all of these, as does the baby’s gut microbiome and there is a powerful interaction between the two.

In this supplement, we have 4 papers that address different aspects of this complex biology of mother-child interactions by examining the role of human milk bioactives and the optimal timing at which they are introduced and then gradually withdrawn as the infant matures.