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Research

The effect of breast-feeding on the development of allergic disease is uncertain

News & Events

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week (1 – 7 August), we sat down with Professor Valerie Verhasselt to ask her some of the top questions about breastfeeding and immunology.

News & Events

As a child health researcher, I'm often asked by new Mums what's the best thing they can do for their babies? And my answer is always the same, breastfeed.

Research

Convenient, readily available and helping create a close and loving bond between baby and mother, breastfeeding is highly regarded for optimising infant health and preventing chronic disease in adulthood.

Research

Early infancy is a critical period for immune development. In addition to being the primary food source during early infancy, human milk also provides multiple bioactive components that shape the infant gut microbiome and immune system and provides a constant source of exposure to maternal microbiota. Given the potential interplay between allergic diseases and the human microbiome, this study aimed to characterise the milk microbiome of allergic mothers.

Research

Cow's milk allergy is rare in exclusively breastfed infants. To support the continuation of breastfeeding an infant after diagnosis with a cow's milk allergy, it is critical to examine the evidence for and against any form of cow's milk elimination diet for lactating mothers. In this narrative review, we highlight the lack of high-quality evidence, hence subsequent controversy, regarding whether the minuscule quantities of cow's milk proteins detectable in human milk cause infant cow's milk allergy symptoms.

Research

Improving maternal gut health in pregnancy and lactation is a potential strategy to improve immune and metabolic health in offspring and curtail the rising rates of inflammatory diseases linked to alterations in gut microbiota. Here, we investigate the effects of a maternal prebiotic supplement (galacto-oligosaccharides and fructo-oligosaccharides), ingested daily from <21 weeks' gestation to six months' post-partum, in a double-blinded, randomised placebo-controlled trial. 

Research

Findings suggest that the use of an online expert video is an acceptable and effective way to educate pregnant women in antenatal colostrum expression

Research

These data show that fathers are prepared to use a breastfeeding-focused online forum in a variety of ways to facilitate social support

Research

The Milk Man app was an acceptable source of breastfeeding information and support that fathers and fathers-to-be are prepared to use throughout the perinatal period