Published: February 11, 2013
Author: Paul Taylor
Source: The Globe and Mail
Experts Cited: Dr. Anita Kozyrskyj, Dr. Meghan Azad
Bacterium Named: Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella, Clostridium difficile
Condition: asthma, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, food allergies, obesity
Our Take:This article is an overview of the research published by Dr. Kozyrskyj and Dr. Azad who studied the biomes of babies born via Cesarean Section compared to vaginal births. The skinny is that babies born by vaginal birth get immersed in natural bacteria in the birth canal, even ingesting critical bacteria for the early formulation of a baby’s gut biome – exposure that c-section babies don’t get. Often this is compounded by the fact that c-section mothers are given antibiotics, and often start breastfeeding later. The implication is that these babies are getting less natural bacteria than vaginal born babies. The study suggests that there are future impacts on these babies with respect to asthma, type 1 diabetes, food allergies and even obesity.
Link: See full story on theglobeandmail.com
