Human evolution; breast feeding helps brain development. (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, December 17, 2023, 19:23 (340 days ago) @ David Turell

A current study:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231213155222.htm

"Breastfeeding, even partially alongside formula feeding, changes the chemical makeup -- or metabolome -- of an infant's gut in ways that positively influence brain development and may boost test scores years later, suggests new research.

"Breastfeeding, even partially alongside formula feeding, changes the chemical makeup -- or metabolome -- of an infant's gut in ways that positively influence brain development and may boost test scores years later, suggests new CU Boulder research.

"'For those who struggle with exclusively breastfeeding, this study suggests your baby can still get significant benefits if you breastfeed as much as you can," said senior author Tanya Alderete, an assistant professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder.

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"For the study, the research team examined what is known as the "fecal metabolome" -- the diverse collection of metabolites found in the gut and shed in poop. Metabolites are small molecules that are churned out by gut bacteria as a byproduct of metabolizing food and make their way into the bloodstream, impacting the brain and other organs.

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"'Looking at the gut microbiome tells us which bacteria are there, while looking at the fecal metabolome can help tell us what they are doing," said Chalifour. "It's like a health report card for the gut."

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"With only one notable exception, caffeine, the more metabolites associated with breast milk a baby had in their stool, the better they did on cognitive tests as toddlers.

"The more metabolites associated with formula feeding they had, the worst they did.

"'The consistency of these results is striking and supports the benefits of breastfeeding as much as possible in early life," said Alderete.

"One particularly beneficial metabolite was cholesterol: At both 1 and 6 months old, the more a baby was breastfed the more cholesterol they had in their stool. And the more cholesterol babies had in their stool, the better they did on cognitive tests. This makes sense, as the fatty acid is critical for forming healthy circuits between brain cells. As the authors note, 80% to 90% of the brain's volume grows in the first two years of life.

"In contrast, the more a baby was formula fed, the higher their levels of a metabolite called cadaverine, a known contaminant formed via fermentation."

Comment: that breast feeding is better for babies is an obvious guess assuming evolution works for the best. This proves it.