Nature Paper: Breast Milk and Formula Nutrients are Processed by Gut Bacteria to Train the Immune System

Nature Paper: Breast Milk and Formula Nutrients are Processed by Gut Bacteria to Train the Immune System

Yale Professor and Food Allergy Science Initiative Principal Investigator Finds Possible Link Between Breast Milk Bacteria and Increased Immune Defenses

Why do some children develop dangerous food allergies, while others remain allergy-free? According to the findings of a landmark study led by a Food Allergy Science Initiative principal investigator and published recently in Nature, the presence of a certain bacteria in the gut may help train the immune system and protect infants against allergic reactions.

The study, published in the June issue of Nature by Noah Palm, Ph.D., Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI) principal investigator and professor of immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, found that Bifidobacterium, a bacteria that dominates the gut microbiome in early life, can take a nutrient from dietary milk, either breast milk or supplemented infant formulas, and turn it into a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. They found that acetylcholine strengthened the gut's defenses by boosting production of IgA, a protective antibody that enhanced immune resistance against salmonella infections.