09/12/2026
New research: one particular factor may give your child a head start in terms of good gut health, which will last well into adulthood
In a new study of breast milk, researchers have identified a crucial window of opportunity for laying the best foundations of a healthy gut environment.
Published on 07.09.26
"For many new mothers, the first few weeks and months after the birth of their baby involve spending a great many hours curled up on the couch breastfeeding.
Health authorities emphasise that breast milk is vital for a child’s health.
In a new study, researchers from Rigshospitalet and DTU in Denmark have discovered that specific components of breast milk have properties that not only benefit the baby in the short term, but provide a particular health benefit that extends well into adulthood.
When a baby is due to start consuming solid food instead of exclusively breast milk, the new study shows that combining the two can have far-reaching beneficial effects.
"This underlines the importance of combining breastfeeding with solid baby food at this stage of a child’s development," says Maher Abou Hachem, a professor at DTU Bioengineering and senior author of the study, in a news release.
A crucial window
So far, researchers have known that breast milk is beneficial to infants’ health. The Danish health authorities recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed until they are 6 months old, and then partially breastfed until they are 12+ months.
The new study highlights yet another benefit of continuing to breastfeed, when a young child is weaned and fed solid food as well.
In the press release, the researchers describe the transition from breast milk to solid food as a "crucial developmental window" that plays a role right through to adulthood.
The researchers closely examined the bacteria present in the gut and found that specific sugars in breast milk – human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) – promote the gut’s selection of bacteria associated with a healthy gut microbiota later in life.
They also found that the beneficial effects persist in the gut for longer than researchers previously believed.
According to the researchers, the discovery of the effect of sugars on the gut microbiota may help us understand how and why breastfeeding is important for a child’s health – also in the long term.
The new knowledge might also contribute to the development of improved nutritional solutions for infants. "
https://scienceillustrated.com/health/new-research-one-particular-factor-may-give-your-child-a-head-start-in-terms-of-good-gut-health-which-will-last-well-into-adulthood?
