Gut Microbiome and Breast-feeding: Implications for Early Immune Development

Overview

Journal J Allergy Clin Immunol

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2022 Sep 8

PMID 36075638

Authors

Erin C Davis

Vanessa P Castagna

David A Sela

Margaret A Hillard

Samantha Lindberg

Nicholas J Mantis

Antti E Seppo

Kirsi M Jarvinen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Establishment of the gut microbiome during early life is a complex process with lasting implications for an individual's health. Several factors influence microbial assembly; however, breast-feeding is recognized as one of the most influential drivers of gut microbiome composition during infancy, with potential implications for function. Differences in gut microbial communities between breast-fed and formula-fed infants have been consistently observed and are hypothesized to partially mediate the relationships between breast-feeding and decreased risk for numerous communicable and noncommunicable diseases in early life. Despite decades of research on the gut microbiome of breast-fed infants, there are large scientific gaps in understanding how human milk has evolved to support microbial and immune development. This review will summarize the evidence on how breast-feeding broadly affects the composition and function of the early-life gut microbiome and discuss mechanisms by which specific human milk components shape intestinal bacterial colonization, succession, and function.

Citing Articles

Impact of diet on the gut mycobiome of Hong Kong Chinese infants.

Fong J, Lok K, Yeung M, Li W, Woo P, Teng J Comput Struct Biotechnol J. 2025; 27:661-671.

PMID: 40061440 PMC: 11889518. DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2025.02.006.

The Neonatal Microbiome: Implications for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Neurodegenerations.

Eisen A, Kiernan M Brain Sci. 2025; 15(2).

PMID: 40002527 PMC: 11852589. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci15020195.

Breastfeeding and Non-Communicable Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Capra M, Aliverti V, Bellani A, Berzieri M, Montani A, Pisseri G Nutrients. 2025; 17(3).

PMID: 39940369 PMC: 11819769. DOI: 10.3390/nu17030511.

Association of breast milk microbiota and metabolites with neonatal jaundice.

Liu T, Yuan Y, Wei J, Chen J, Zhang F, Chen J Front Pediatr. 2025; 12():1500069.

PMID: 39834492 PMC: 11743730. DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1500069.

Gut microbiome and orthopaedic health: Bridging the divide between digestion and bone integrity.

Jeyaraman N, Jeyaraman M, Dhanpal P, Ramasubramanian S, Ragavanandam L, Muthu S World J Orthop. 2025; 15(12):1135-1145.

PMID: 39744736 PMC: 11686522. DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i12.1135.

References

Karav S, Le Parc A, de Moura Bell J, Frese S, Kirmiz N, Block D . Oligosaccharides Released from Milk Glycoproteins Are Selective Growth Substrates for Infant-Associated Bifidobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2016; 82(12):3622-3630. PMC: 4959171. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00547-16. View

Yang W, Yu T, Huang X, Bilotta A, Xu L, Lu Y . Intestinal microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids regulation of immune cell IL-22 production and gut immunity. Nat Commun. 2020; 11(1):4457. PMC: 7478978. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18262-6. View

Williams J, Carrothers J, Lackey K, Beatty N, York M, Brooker S . Human Milk Microbial Community Structure Is Relatively Stable and Related to Variations in Macronutrient and Micronutrient Intakes in Healthy Lactating Women. J Nutr. 2017; 147(9):1739-1748. PMC: 5572491. DOI: 10.3945/jn.117.248864. View

Davis E, Wang M, Donovan S . The role of early life nutrition in the establishment of gastrointestinal microbial composition and function. Gut Microbes. 2017; 8(2):143-171. PMC: 5390825. DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2016.1278104. View

Pannaraj P, Ly M, Cerini C, Saavedra M, Aldrovandi G, Saboory A . Shared and Distinct Features of Human Milk and Infant Stool Viromes. Front Microbiol. 2018; 9:1162. PMC: 5992295. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01162. View

Moossavi S, Sepehri S, Robertson B, Bode L, Goruk S, Field C . Composition and Variation of the Human Milk Microbiota Are Influenced by Maternal and Early-Life Factors. Cell Host Microbe. 2019; 25(2):324-335.e4. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.01.011. View

Kunz C, Rudloff S, Baier W, Klein N, Strobel S . Oligosaccharides in human milk: structural, functional, and metabolic aspects. Annu Rev Nutr. 2000; 20:699-722. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.nutr.20.1.699. View

Abdel-Gadir A, Stephen-Victor E, Gerber G, Noval Rivas M, Wang S, Harb H . Microbiota therapy acts via a regulatory T cell MyD88/RORγt pathway to suppress food allergy. Nat Med. 2019; 25(7):1164-1174. PMC: 6677395. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0461-z. View

Coppa G, Pierani P, Zampini L, Carloni I, Carlucci A, Gabrielli O . Oligosaccharides in human milk during different phases of lactation. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 1999; 88(430):89-94. DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1999.tb01307.x. View

10.

Sterlin D, Fadlallah J, Adams O, Fieschi C, Parizot C, Dorgham K . Human IgA binds a diverse array of commensal bacteria. J Exp Med. 2020; 217(3). PMC: 7062531. DOI: 10.1084/jem.20181635. View

11.

Yu Z, Chen C, Newburg D . Utilization of major fucosylated and sialylated human milk oligosaccharides by isolated human gut microbes. Glycobiology. 2013; 23(11):1281-92. PMC: 3796377. DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwt065. View

12.

Stadtmueller B, Huey-Tubman K, Lopez C, Yang Z, Hubbell W, Bjorkman P . The structure and dynamics of secretory component and its interactions with polymeric immunoglobulins. Elife. 2016; 5. PMC: 4786434. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.10640. View

13.

Kelly C, Zheng L, Campbell E, Saeedi B, Scholz C, Bayless A . Crosstalk between Microbiota-Derived Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Intestinal Epithelial HIF Augments Tissue Barrier Function. Cell Host Microbe. 2015; 17(5):662-71. PMC: 4433427. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2015.03.005. View

14.

Taft D, Lewis Z, Nguyen N, Ho S, Masarweh C, Dunne-Castagna V . Species Colonization in Infancy: A Global Cross-Sectional Comparison by Population History of Breastfeeding. Nutrients. 2022; 14(7). PMC: 9003546. DOI: 10.3390/nu14071423. View

15.

Huus K, Petersen C, Finlay B . Diversity and dynamism of IgA-microbiota interactions. Nat Rev Immunol. 2021; 21(8):514-525. DOI: 10.1038/s41577-021-00506-1. View

16.

Murphy K, Curley D, OCallaghan T, OShea C, Dempsey E, OToole P . The Composition of Human Milk and Infant Faecal Microbiota Over the First Three Months of Life: A Pilot Study. Sci Rep. 2017; 7:40597. PMC: 5240090. DOI: 10.1038/srep40597. View

17.

Chen X . Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOS): Structure, Function, and Enzyme-Catalyzed Synthesis. Adv Carbohydr Chem Biochem. 2015; 72:113-90. PMC: 9235823. DOI: 10.1016/bs.accb.2015.08.002. View

18.

Rios-Covian D, Salazar N, Gueimonde M, de Los Reyes-Gavilan C . Shaping the Metabolism of Intestinal Population through Diet to Improve Human Health. Front Microbiol. 2017; 8:376. PMC: 5339271. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00376. View

19.

Bergstrom A, Skov T, Bahl M, Roager H, Christensen L, Ejlerskov K . Establishment of intestinal microbiota during early life: a longitudinal, explorative study of a large cohort of Danish infants. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2014; 80(9):2889-900. PMC: 3993305. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00342-14. View

20.

Bridgman S, Konya T, Azad M, Guttman D, Sears M, Becker A . High fecal IgA is associated with reduced Clostridium difficile colonization in infants. Microbes Infect. 2016; 18(9):543-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2016.05.001. View