6 days ago
Why baby probiotics are a thing now
Gut health, a popular topic in wellness circles for years, is now the latest frontier in baby products.
Why it matters: Most U.S. babies lack key gut bacteria, per new research, fueling a boom in new prebiotic and probiotic products — and fresh parental confusion.
The big picture: Unlike adult microbiomes that are already well-established, new research has found that fresh baby guts are quite responsive to probiotics, says Sharon Donovan, a pediatric nutrition expert and professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Context: Probiotics are the "good" bacteria, and prebiotics are food for these bacteria.
When infants have enough regular prebiotics — which are found naturally in breast milk — that helps the good bacteria thrive.
What's happening: About 3 in 4 infants had insufficient levels of a bacteria called Bifidobacteria, putting them at risk of chronic disease like allergies and asthma, according to initial baby gut study findings published in Nature Communications Biology.
Even babies born vaginally and breastfed "have compromised gut microbiomes," says Stephanie Culler, study co-author, scientist and CEO of Persephone Biosciences.
By the numbers: Researchers analyzed stool samples from more than 400 infant participants. The study is set to run for seven years.
Zoom in: More than 9 in 10 infants lacked a specific kind of Bifidobacterium known as B. infantis, which has "superstar powers," because it's the only Bifidobacterium that can consume all of the breast milk prebiotics, Culler tells Axios.
It suppresses bad bacteria, and helps the immune system develop properly, she says.
Zoom out: The increase in cesarean sections, formula feeding and antibiotic use over generations could be some of the factors eliminating this bacteria in U.S. babies, researchers speculate.
The intrigue: Although B. infantis has largely been wiped from the industrialized world, high levels of it have been found in Old Order Mennonite and Amish babies.
And as Americans have overall gotten more allergies in recent years, the Amish haven't.
State of play: A number of formulas include prebiotics meant to support the growth of Bifidobacteria.
Legacy U.S. formula brands Similac and Enfamil offer blends of prebiotics like the kind naturally found in breast milk (HMOs).
Newer brands ByHeart and Nara Organics contain an organic lactose-derived prebiotic (GOS).
What's next: More probiotic baby products are coming.
Brands like BioGaia already sell drops with L. reuteri meant for colicky infants.
Others, like Evivo, include B. infantis.
Persephone Biosciences — the company behind the major baby microbiome study — will launch a supplement in September that has both B. infantis and prebiotics.
Between the lines: Probiotic supplements aren't FDA-regulated like infant formula is — and the FDA raised safety concerns about probiotics after a preterm infant died in 2023.
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found probiotics were linked to lower death rates in preemies, it says in a clinical report that there's not enough evidence to recommend routine use. The group warns that they could pose risks to very sick or immunocompromised babies.
The AAP tells Axios it is updating its guidance on probiotics, but hasn't said when it will be released.
