The microbiota, in case of cesarean delivery, can pass from mother to child – time.news

2023-06-15 16:14:21

Of Clare Bidoli

The “good bacteria” of the body are a precious inheritance handed down from mother to child through natural childbirth. A new study shows how it is possible to help the baby’s microbiota even in the event of a cesarean delivery

Transferring maternal vaginal bacteria to newborns born by caesarean section (a step that occurs regularly with natural birth) is possible and brings benefits to the development of children. That’s what a study published in claims Cell Host & Microbe which shows how the transfer of the intestinal microbiota is not only possible even with cesarean delivery, but is associated with the development of the immune system and could influence the newborn’s predisposition to get sick and contract diseases, including diabetes, in older age.

I study

Yan He, a researcher at the Southern Medical University of Guangzhou in China, and his team rubbed the lips, skin and hands of 32 caesarean-section babies with gauze soaked in their mothers’ vaginal fluid, while 36 other newborns – again born by cesarean section – the same treatment was done with gauze soaked in saline. The result was that, six weeks after birth, infants who had received the maternal microbiota they had a higher percentage of intestinal bacteria compared to the others treated with saline, confirming that the maternal vaginal bacteria had successfully reached and colonized the intestines of children who had microbiota conditions comparable to newborns born vaginally. The researchers also assessed the neurodevelopment of these babies at 3 and then 6 months after birth. What emerged was that the abilities to make simple sounds and perform small movements were significantly more developed in children who had received the maternal microbiota than in those who had not. “We don’t know exactly how gut bacteria affect neurodevelopment, but there is indirect evidence showing that some microbial metabolites are related to developmental conditions. We hope this study will provide direction for research, especially we want to investigate whether the maternal vaginal microbiota is able to reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and intellectual disabilities,” says Yan He.

Microbiota from mother to child

Several studies have shown that the method of delivery (vaginal or cesarean), the type of breastfeeding (natural or with formula milk), and even before that, the diet of the mother during pregnancy, have an important impact on the composition and function of the infant’s microbiota with short- and long-term consequences. The benefits of the passage of the so-called “good bacteria” from mother to child which occurs during vaginal birth, but also through breastfeeding, allows the mother to transfer a precious legacy to her baby, i.e. the patrimony of bacteria that they will colonize the newborn especially in its gastrointestinal tract. Here resides the most complex microbial ecosystem, containing precious immune, metabolic, protective and nourishing functions. It is proven that the so-called Frrhyme a thousand days of lifea period that includes from conception to the first two years, are crucial for the biological future of the individual and that the intestinal microbiota, a precious but also fragile organ, must be preserved over time thanks to a correct and balanced diet, centered on the Mediterranean diet, and reducing antibiotic therapies to a minimum.

June 15, 2023 (change June 15, 2023 | 16:14)

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