Breastfeeding Lactobacillus recommendation
The human gut microbiome is one of the most important factors for a healthy life and breastfeeding is the best way to populate it. The latest discoveries about the infant microbiome have shown that a good start as an infant sets up a lifetime of health.
Breast milk contains several hundred different bacteria, including many probiotic organisms that help babies build a robust immune system. The genus Lactobacillus is especially abundant in human milk. Various studies have found that supplementation with a strain of Lactobacillus (L. reuteri) reduces colic in infants. It also has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on the mammary glands and may prevent mastitis, which is an important cause of breastfeeding cessation.
Moreover, breastfeeding significantly increases the composition of intestinal microbiota in infants. It protects babies from gastrointestinal infections, allergies and even obesity. Breastfeeding has also been shown to reduce serious infections in extremely preterm babies.
However, not all mothers can breastfeed and when it is not possible to breastfeed, introducing a high quality infant formula with a strain of Lactobacillus may help to boost the baby’s good intestinal microbiota and improve their overall health. Lactobacillus reuteri is a good choice for this purpose and multiple clinical trials have shown that it has a significant impact on the health of infants.
Lactobacillus reuteri has been demonstrated to increase the number of colony-forming units in infants’ stool and it has a positive effect on the intestinal flora and intestinal immunity. It has also been shown to be effective in reducing colic in infants and the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in young children. Moreover, it has been shown to reduce the time of serious infections in extremely preterm infants and to protect against childhood eczema.
In addition, a new prevention trial in women with a history of mastitis showed that the addition of a single strain of Lactobacillus (L. salivarius CECT5713) to the standard treatment with antibiotics reduces the incidence of mastitis. This is a major finding because it shows that probiotics can be used as alternative or complement to antimicrobial drugs in the management of this common disease.
Most friendly bacteria are completely safe to take during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but it is always a good idea to check with your doctor as some strains have not been clinically tested in pregnant or breastfeeding women. Also, it is essential to know that most probiotic supplements do not contain live organisms but instead are a combination of dried and milled ingredients such as cellulose, magnesium stearate, maltodextrin, silica, and acacia gum. This allows them to stay stable during the manufacturing process and to reach the gut intact. However, it is important to make sure that the identity of the active ingredient is confirmed using molecular techniques before this probiotic is sold commercially. This is necessary because the activity of probiotics is strain-specific. This is particularly important when the strain is being used to treat a specific condition such as mastitis.