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Desiree Silva MBBS, FRACP, MPH, PhD Co-Director, ORIGINS desiree.silva@thekids.org.au Co-Head, The ORIGINS Project Professor Desiree Silva is
Desiree Silva MBBS, FRACP, MPH, PhD Co-Director, ORIGINS desiree.silva@thekids.org.au Co-Head, The ORIGINS Project Professor Desiree Silva is
The transition to motherhood can be challenging, especially for first-time mothers, and can accompany maternal distress. Social support—such as that offered by peers—can be important in assisting mothers to manage such distress.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted new mothers’ wellbeing and breastfeeding experience. Women have experienced changes in birth and postnatal care and restricted access to their support network. It is unclear how these impacts may have changed over time with shifting rates of infection and policies restricting movement and access to services in Australia and New Zealand.
Susan Prescott MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP Honorary Research Fellow susan.prescott@thekids.org.au Honorary Research Fellow Susan Prescott is a Professor
Debbie Susan Desiree Palmer Prescott Silva BSc BND PhD MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP MBBS, FRACP, MPH, PhD Head, Nutrition in Early Life Honorary Research
Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials have found that introducing eggs and peanuts earlier during infancy reduced egg and peanut allergy risk. Hence, infant feeding advice has dramatically changed from previous recommendations of avoidance to current recommendations of inclusion of common food allergens in infant diets.
Food allergy affects families' quality of life, can be lifelong and life-threatening, urging the identification of early modifiable risk factors. Formula feeding in the first days of life may increase the risk of cow's milk allergy, a risk often attributed to cow's milk allergens exposure. Early formula feeding also reduces the colostrum intake, the first 3 days' milk, which is rich in bioactive compounds critical for immune and gut health. This study investigates whether partial colostrum feeding increases the risk of food allergy beyond cow's milk.
Early infancy is a critical period for immune development. In addition to being the primary food source during early infancy, human milk also provides multiple bioactive components that shape the infant gut microbiome and immune system and provides a constant source of exposure to maternal microbiota. Given the potential interplay between allergic diseases and the human microbiome, this study aimed to characterise the milk microbiome of allergic mothers.
Ingestion of prebiotics during pregnancy and lactation may have immunomodulatory benefits for the developing fetal and infant immune system and provide a potential dietary strategy to reduce the risk of allergic diseases. We sought to determine whether maternal supplementation with dietary prebiotics reduces the risk of allergic outcomes in infants with hereditary risk.