Seeding and feeding: nutrition and birth-associated exposures shape gut microbiome assembly in breastfed infants.

ABSTRACT: Gut microbiome establishment in early life is influenced by maternal, infant, and environmental factors, with disruptions linked to later disease risk. Although infant diet is a major determinant of microbial composition, longitudinal data in breastfed infants, particularly in the context of birth interventions, remain limited. We profiled 698 stool samples from 84 predominantly or exclusively breastfed infants in the BLOSOM cohort, spanning 10 time points from 1 week to 2 years of age using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing and targeted qPCR. After an initial volatile period, microbiome composition and diversity stabilized between months 2 and 5. Introduction of solid foods then triggered a marked ecological shift, with significant increases in diversity (p < 1 × 10^-11

SUBMITTER: Stinson LF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12439570 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature