A Canadian study suggests children who were not breastfed while receiving antibiotics in the first year of life had triple the risk of developing asthma because they lacked specific protective sugars found in human milk.

Dr. Stuart Turvey, a lead researcher, said antibiotics such as amoxicillin are commonly prescribed to treat a wide range of infections in young children, but the medications have also been linked with disrupting the development of a healthy gut microbiome.

91裸聊视频淲hat we91裸聊视频檝e known for some time was that babies that got antibiotics early in life were at higher risk of having asthma at school age and beyond but no one knew why,91裸聊视频� said Turvey, a pediatrician at BC Children91裸聊视频檚 Hospital.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Med, found that sugars in breast milk, which make up about 20 per cent of its indigestible carbohydrates, promote the growth of the B. infantis bacteria to help make other bacteria in order to train the immune system and prevent the development of asthma and allergies.

Researchers also said they identified the breast milk sugars that offer this protection, which could potentially be used to supplement formula for infants that need antibiotics but for whom breastfeeding is not an option.

91裸聊视频淐hildren are born with pretty much no bacteria,91裸聊视频� Turvey said. 91裸聊视频淭hen these communities (of bacteria) start to build, with pioneer species that help the other ones colonize. So the timing matters,91裸聊视频� he said of when people are prescribed antibiotics, which 91裸聊视频渃onfuse91裸聊视频� kids91裸聊视频� immune systems in the first few months of their lives.

The research involved a total of 2,521 children in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto. It showed 17 per cent of the kids received antibiotics in the first year of life.

Three groups of kids were compared 91裸聊视频� those who received no antibiotics, those who were given them while being breastfed and those who got them without being breastfed.

When a subset of 1,338 children were three months old, researchers collected a dirty diaper to test the stool. A year later, another diaper was collected for a stool sample from the same kids, said Turvey, adding the expense of the relatively new technology prohibited all of the children91裸聊视频檚 samples from being tested.

91裸聊视频淲e got the poop samples and then we did metagenomics, a type of genetic sequencing, to identify all the bacteria by the DNA that91裸聊视频檚 there. This (B. infantis) came up as a really strong signal,91裸聊视频� he said.

At age five, all the children were assessed for asthma. Those who did notreceive breast milk but had been prescribed antibiotics were at three times the risk of having the condition.

91裸聊视频淭he children who received the antibiotics while breastfeeding weren91裸聊视频檛 at any higher risk than the children whodid not have antibiotics,91裸聊视频� Turvey said.

91裸聊视频淥ne important thing was that any breastfeeding was protective. So it wasn91裸聊视频檛 just exclusive breastfeeding, with no other form of nutrition.91裸聊视频�

Asthma is a top reason for kids visiting for emergency rooms and doctors91裸聊视频� offices, often while missing school, he said, adding that despite the findings, amoxicillin is a potentially life-saving drug for very young kids.

The study findings could spur clinical trials to determine if the natural sugars in breast milk can be used to supplement formula for the benefit of people who can91裸聊视频檛 breastfeed their children, Turvey said. Chemists could make synthetic versions of the sugars, similar to some that are already in formula, he added.

91裸聊视频淢ore knowledge about the protective ones could inform that process.91裸聊视频�

Ailbhe Smyth, a volunteer with a Vancouver chapter of La Leche League, which supports breastfeeding mothers, said those who are struggling with what is often a challenging experience, as it was for her, should not take the findings as another reason to feel guilty about being 91裸聊视频渁 perfect parent.91裸聊视频�

Fewer public health clinics were offering support through lactation specialists even before the pandemic and some women are opting for private consultants to avoid long wait lists, Smyth said.

91裸聊视频淏ut that91裸聊视频檚 still a barrier. Some people just don91裸聊视频檛 have the extra money to do that,91裸聊视频� she said, adding: 91裸聊视频淚 think support doesn91裸聊视频檛 only need to come from the health-care system because it has to come from society in general.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频擟amille Bains, The Canadian Press