Obesity, caesarean section, antibiotics and their impact on the distortion of the breast milk microbiota

Abstract

The autonomous regulation of the composition of breast milk according to the baby’s needs is perhaps the most unique and mysterious mechanism. Under physiological conditions, the first drops of milk are rich in antioxidants that the newborn needs to combat oxygen deprivation. Milk to nourish boys is more nutritious and night milk is rich in melatonin, which can soothe and put the baby to sleep. Unfortunately, the conditions surrounding a pregnant woman and her newborn baby are not always natural. Many external factors are considered in the context of the risk of adverse effects on the health of the mother and the baby. This article discusses the most common factors that distort the microbiota of breast milk: obesity, delivery mode and antibiotic prophylaxis. Caesarean section, which significantly depletes the bacterial diversity of breast milk, is reported to be the most important factor. The associated disruption of microbial colonisation in infancy leads to a high risk of inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease in children. However, there is another opinion that attributes all the consequences of caesarean section to the necessary preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in most countries. Maternal obesity also leads to low microbial diversity and impoverishment of breast milk with members of the Bifidobacterium genus, which in turn leads to reduced immunomodulatory potential of breast milk in these women. Often these three factors constitute a vicious circle of problems that interfere with the natural and proper process of forming a healthy microbiome in the newborn and require individualised and professional paediatric care.

Keywords

• breast milk microbiota
• caesarean section
• obesity
• antibiotic prophylaxis