In the United States, one out of every three babies is born via C-section. Although this procedure can save both mothers’ and newborns’ lives, studies show that children born via C-section are more likely to develop obesity, allergies, type I diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease later in life. probioticseverything.com
probiotic c sectionAccording to Jenifer Lightdale, a pediatric gastroenterologist at UMass Memorial Medical Center, more parents are becoming aware of the importance of the gut microbiome in their children’s health. As a result, some C-section parents, like Laura, are turning to probiotics in the hopes of improving their babies’ health — and according to a recent Finnish study published in the journal Microbiome, they may be on the right track. Many pediatricians, though, are skeptical. probioticseverything.com
probiotic c sectionThirteen years ago, a group of roughly 1,200 Finnish mothers gave birth to their babies, some vaginally and others via C-section. Half of the new mothers were given specific newborn probiotics, while the other half were given a placebo, according to researchers at the University of Helsinki. Since then, experts have been researching the health of these newborns, who are now preteens. The researchers say that so far, the outcomes for C-section newborns are positive. probioticseverything.com
probiotic c sectionC-section babies who did not receive probiotics had considerably lower quantities of helpful bacteria than vaginally delivered babies, according to the researchers. This discrepancy was reversed with probiotics, but only in newborns who were also breastfed. This caveat may be due to the fact that breast milk contains prebiotics, which is crucial food for bacteria, whereas most formula does not. probioticseverything.com
probiotic c sectionAccording to Tommi Vatanen, a microbiologist from the University of Auckland in New Zealand who was not involved in the study, not all microorganisms in probiotics are equally useful. Every species of microorganism has a unique function and interacts with the body in a unique way. probioticseverything.com
probiotic c sectionSome bacteria types seen in the newborn gut are “immunomodulatory,” which means they interact with the immune system directly. According to Katri Korpela, an immunobiologist at the University of Helsinki and the study’s principal author, these bacteria are especially crucial during infancy, when “the long-term training of the immune system occurs.” “The immune system is continually talking with the bacteria in the gut” during this time. probioticseverything.com
probiotic c sectionIt’s possible that missing out on this immunological education will contribute to future health issues. When compared to other C-section babies, those delivered through C-section were over 70% less likely to acquire a food allergy before the age of five, and almost 60% less likely to develop eczema if they had received a probiotic, according to an earlier study based on Korpela’s sample of babies. This difference was not detected in vaginally delivered newborns, leading researchers to believe that allergy risk may play a role in the impacts of C-section. probioticseverything.com
probiotic c section