Missing beneficial bacteria in infant guts linked to rising asthma and allergy cases

Medical Xpress / Communications Biology ^ | July 4, 2025 | Sanjukta Mondal / John B. Jarman et al

[ConservativeMind]

Nearly one in four infants lacks enough healthy gut bacteria essential for training their immune systems, putting them at greater risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as allergies, asthma, and eczema by age 2.

Bifidobacteria are among the first group of good bacteria to colonize the human gut, and their presence has been linked to positive health outcomes for the host, including protection against metabolic diseases, gastrointestinal tract infections, and inflammation.

A recent study analyzed the gut microbiomes of 412 infants, selected to represent the diverse demographics of the U.S, and found a widespread deficit of Bifidobacteria in infants. Long-term health data from the infants suggested that a lack of detectable Bifidobacteria in infants may contribute to the development of atopy, a genetic predisposition to developing allergic diseases.

Emerging data suggests that the rise in such NCDs actually begins during the first 1,000 days of a child's life—inside the mother's womb and through the first two years of life.

To fill in the gap, the researchers designed the My Baby Biome study, a seven-year longitudinal investigation that involved nationally representative data of both the infant gut microbiome and the compounds produced by the metabolic activities of the microbes.

Data analysis revealed that 25% of U.S. infants between 1 and 3 months of age were deficient in Bifidobacterium, and the deficiency was more pronounced in C-section births (35%) than in vaginal births (19%). In C-section infants, the beneficial bacteria were often replaced by potentially pathogenic bacteria that are known to use up human milk oligosaccharides, components in breast milk that shape the infant gut microbiome.

They also found that microbiomes rich in Bifidobacterium had fewer antimicrobial-resistant and disease-causing genes, along with more beneficial metabolic profiles.

[metmom]

Colostrum also coats and helps seal the infant’s digestive tract which helps down the road.

The sad part is, people like me who were born in the better living through chemistry/formula is better than breast milk era and were never breastfed.

And there’s no going back to undo the damage.

I wonder if I’m be having the struggles with my diet I’m experiencing if I had the benefit of being breastfed.

Realizing that is why I chose to breastfeed all my kids.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

I was lucky enough to have been breastfed. I understand how it must sting for you not having a choice in that decision in your case. Thank goodness for your kids that they have a sensible loving mom!

[metmom]

Time will tell how much it helps them.

But likely, I won’t be around by that time to find out.

They’re nowhere near the age I was when I started having problems and the problems didn’t become as bad as they are until I was quite bit older.

My life expectancy simply doesn’t allow me to live long enough to find out, my health issues notwithstanding.

However, I hold no bitterness towards my mom for her decision. She did what she thought was best for me. If there’s any blame, it’s laid directly at the feet of the medical establishment, which has added a plethora more of reasons to not trust it.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Exactly. Our moms always did what they thought was best for us. It makes me cringe to hear some grown people tear into their mothers.