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Research
Breastfeeding beyond the big smoke: Who provides support for mothers in rural Western Australia?Antenatal group education is effective in supporting breastfeeding duration for rural women and should be a key priority for rural health service providers.
Research
Longitudinal Profiling of the Human Milk Microbiome from Birth to 12 Months Reveals Overall Stability and Selective Taxa-Level VariationHuman milk bacteria contribute to gut microbiome establishment in breastfed infants. Although breastfeeding is recommended throughout infancy, temporal variation in the milk microbiome-particularly beyond solid food introduction-remains understudied. We analyzed 539 milk samples from 83 mother-infant dyads between 1 week and 12 months postpartum using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
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Maternal Allergic Disease Phenotype and Infant Birth Season Influence the Human Milk MicrobiomeEarly 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.
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Maternal prebiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation modifies the microbiome and short chain fatty acid profile of both mother and infantImproving 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.
News & Events
World-first evidence links exclusive colostrum intake with reduced peanut allergy riskFirst-of-its-kind findings show that newborns exclusively fed colostrum in their first 72 hours of life were five times less likely to develop a peanut allergy by 12-18 months, and 11 times less likely to develop multiple food allergies (such as egg or cow’s milk) compared with infants who also received formula
Research
BreastfeedingConvenient, 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.
News & Events
Support breastfeeding Mums for healthy babies and a healthy planetAs 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.
News & Events
Parents advised to rethink dummy useA comprehensive review of scientific studies on the use of baby pacifiers (dummies) has found that they interfere with successful breastfeeding.
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The influence of infant feeding attitudes on breastfeeding duration: evidence from a cohort study in rural Western AustraliaThe Rural Infant Feeding Study aimed to describe the factors associated with breastfeeding practice from birth to 12 months of age in rural Western Australia.
Research
The relationship between nutrition in infancy and cognitive performance during adolescenceNutrition in early childhood may have a long-term association with fundamental cognitive processing speed, which is likely to be related to enhanced brain...