Why fructose (found in MANY sweets, sugary drinks and processed foods) is bad for your immune system.... New research suggests diets high in fructose could lead to immune system damage. *** Intake of fructose has increased around the world in recent years. High consumption of...

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*** Wow. The wonders of breast milk. Scientists looking at the breast milk of Guatemalan mothers found distinct differences in the bacteria in breast milk between early lactation (6-46 days) versus established lactation (109-184 days). The scientists also found types of bacteria never before...

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Here are this week's specially curated 4 new tasty snacks of knowledge on the science of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. Covering: Bacteria not detected in meconium before birth (pre-print study} High bacterial diversity in the home may reduce allergic rhinitis Professional, practical...

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What happens to bacteria when you freeze breast milk? A new feasibility small study by Shirin Moossavi et al. (20121) is amongst the first to use culture-enriched molecular profiling to study culturable bacteria in breast milk. The research team included Dr Meghan Azad (who is featured...

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These are shocking statistics for exclusive breastfeeding. Worldwide - (Statistics from UNICEF / WHO Global breastfeeding scorecard 2019) Only 43% of newborns initiate breastfeeding Only 41% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life . In South Africa: -...

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Interesting new research on babies and the home microbiome.... And possibly the best excuse not to dust! A new study finds that high bacterial diversity in early-life home may protect against allergic rhinitis. As you might already know, microbial exposures in early childhood affect the...

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Here are this week's specially curated 5 new tasty snacks of knowledge. Happy reading! Covering new research and articles on: Can changing the diet of a breastfeeding mother change the infant microbiome? Pre-eclampsia and the gut microbiome of pregnant mothers Working from home and...

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If you're a midwife, you'll probably know all about meconium. Meconium is a thick, green tar-like substance that lines the baby's gut during pregnancy. Meconium is usually released as the baby's first stool after birth. But sometimes the baby will have a bowel movement before birth -...

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Who doesn't love a rainbow of colour? And who doesn't love a rainbow of different coloured bacteria? I simply love this blog-post and colourful microbiome-related project by microbiologist Anne A. Madden Ph.D. The Microbe Crayon Project reveals and celebrates the colours of the microbial...

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This is a really interesting new review paper and a facinating idea. The paper is titled: "Can we modulate the breastfed infant gut microbiota through maternal diet?" In other words - if you change the diet of a breastfeeding mother, can this change the infant gut microbiome? Surprisingly...

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