Breastfeeding provides your baby with more than just ‘energy’ – it also contains a whole host of nutrients, bioactive compounds, and immune-supporting compounds. There’s a good reason so many people call breastmilk ‘liquid gold’!The benefits of breastfeeding on your baby’s health are well established, but the mechanisms behind this are not so often discussed. Breastmilk plays a key role in your baby’s own gut microbiome establishment, supporting their immune health, and helping to set them up for a healthy future. In this newsletter, you can:
- Read an article by nutritionist Clare Carrick, looking at the impact that breastfeeding has on your baby’s gut and future health;
- Read a summary written by Dr Fathalla Ali of a recent Danish study looking at the beneficial effect of breastfeeding on the infant gut microbiome;
- Watch Paediatric Immunobiologist Dr Steven Leach discuss the component of breastmilk that your baby can’t absorb, and explain why it’s essential for microbiome development.