Ethnicity and breastfeeding influence infant gut bacteria

The bacteria in a child’s gut appears to be influenced as early as its first year by ethnicity and breastfeeding, according to a new study from McMaster University. And while stable gut bacteria, called microbiota, may not be established until one to three years after birth, the infant gut bacteria seems to be an important indicator of immune function, nutrient metabolism and could offer protection from pathogens.

“We know that microbial communities are influenced by genetics, food and lifestyle, which are factors that we considered here. We also know that all three of these are strongly influenced by one’s ethnicity.” said Jennifer Stearns, the study’s first author, assistant professor of medicine at McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and a scientist of the University’s Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute.

For this study, South Asian ethnicity was defined as infants whose parents’ and grandparents’ ancestral origin was from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.