Role of Bifidobacteria on Infant Health
Silvia Saturio, Alicja Nogacka, Guadalupe Monserrat Alvarado-Jasso, Nuria Salazar, Clara G. de los Reyes‐Gavilán, Miguel Gueimonde +1 more
Microorganisms
Abstract
Bifidobacteria are among the predominant microorganisms during infancy, being a dominant microbial group in the healthy breastfed infant and playing a crucial role in newborns and infant development. Not only the levels of the <i>Bifidobacterium</i> genus but also the profile and quantity of the different bifidobacterial species have been demonstrated to be of relevance to infant health. Although no definitive proof is available on the causal association, reduced levels of bifidobacteria are perhaps the most frequently observed alteration of the intestinal microbiota in infant diseases. Moreover, <i>Bifidobacterium</i> strains have been extensively studied by their probiotic attributes. This review compiles the available information about bifidobacterial composition and function since the beginning of life, describing different perinatal factors affecting them, and their implications on different health alterations in infancy. In addition, this review gathers exhaustive information about pre-clinical and clinical studies with <i>Bifidobacterium</i> strains as probiotics in neonates.
Extracted Claims
3 claims extracted from this paper into the knowledge graph
Bifidobacteria play a role in infant health
“Bifidobacteria are among the predominant microorganisms during infancy, being a dominant microbial group in the healthy breastfed infant and playing a crucial role in newborns and infant development.”
reduced levels of bifidobacteria are associated with infant diseases
“Although no definitive proof is available on the causal association, reduced levels of bifidobacteria are perhaps the most frequently observed alteration of the intestinal microbiota in infant disease...”
Bifidobacterium strains have been studied for probiotic attributes
“Moreover, Bifidobacterium strains have been extensively studied by their probiotic attributes.”