The Gut Microbiome: Our partner in Infant Health and Immunity
What is the gut microbiome?
Microbes are found on every external surface in the body including the skin and the gut1.
The gut is the area with the highest levels of bacteria in the body7, with 1,000 different species of known bacteria present1, and it is thought we have 10-100 times more bacterial cells than human cells on our body2. The combination of all the genetic information of these gut bacteria is termed the ‘gut microbiome’1.
The gut microbiome can be influenced by a range of environmental factors including mode of delivery, diet and gestational age at birth8. A healthy gut microbiome has implications for overall health and can be influenced by nutrition.