A new study has discovered that breast milk has benefits relating to shaping a healthy oral microbiome in babies.
Led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the findings showed that the growth of some microbes was stopped for up to 24 hours following the mixing of breast milk and saliva.
This slowing down wasn't linked to whether the microorganism was considered to be "pathogenic" (harmful) or "commensal" (normally found) in a babies mouth.
The researchers said that it could be because the interaction of saliva and breast milk releases antibacterial compounds, including hydrogen peroxide.
Emma Sweeney, from QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said, ''Breast milk is high in an enzyme called xanthine oxidase which acts on two substrates, found in babies' saliva.''
Emma also made the point that the composition of newborns' mouth microbiota was an important factor in health and well-being.
She explained that, ''Changes to these bacterial communities in newborns have important implications for infection or disease early in life.''
"While adult oral microbiota are stable, our studies have shown that the microbiota in the mouths of newborns is much more dynamic and seems to be altered by the mode of feeding within the first few months of life."
What about the implications for sick babies who are fed via a tube?
Emma says that "In these cases, they do not receive the benefits of the antibacterial compounds released during breastfeeding.''
However, the hydrogen peroxide can remain active in a baby's stomach so ''this antimicrobial activity seen in the mouth may also continue within the baby's stomach and intestines.''
