A publication of CHILD Cohort Study (CHILD) findings on the breast milk microbiome has been named by the journal Cell Host & Microbe as one of its top 11 research papers of 2019.
The study, Composition and Variation of the Human Milk Microbiota Are Influenced by Maternal and Early-Life Factors, is featured in the journal’s “Best of 2019” publication, and is one of three papers highlighted by the editors in the publication’s forward.
The papers were chosen by the journal for being “the most accessed and most cited articles from 2019, accounting for the amount of time passed since publication.”
“This a big deal,” comments co-author and CHILD’s Co-Director Dr. Stuart Turvey. “Cell Host & Microbe is a top ranked journal, so being acknowledged as one of their best articles is amazing.”
“We’re proud of this team achievement,” state the lead researchers, Drs Shirin Moossavi and Meghan Azad.
Their research found that milk bacteria are different in mothers who pump their milk, compared to those who breastfeed directly. The researchers suspected that pumping may prevent the transfer of oral bacteria from the infant to the mother and might introduce other bacteria from the pump. Therefore, contrary or in addition to the hypothesis that milk bacteria come from the mother’s gut, their results suggested that the infant’s oral bacteria are important in shaping the milk microbiota.
Another study on breast milk and the gut microbiome by members of the same research team was selected as the cover story for Cell Host & Microbe‘s August 12, 2020 issue.
See the video below about CHILD research into breastfeeding.
