There’s a lot going on before the age of one. Infants develop vital motor and cognitive skills, while potentially facing common challenges in relation to immune health and digestive discomfort 41Innova Market Insights & RFC, Early Life Nutrition survey, 2020.
During the first year of life, immunity comes first: not only is the top health concern for parents, according to exclusive research 44FrieslandCampina, Presans & Einerhand Science & Innovation; Healthcare Professional survey USA, UK, CN; n=5-7 per country, May 2021, but immune-related symptoms are the ones reported most often in babies under one. Alongside immune health, growth & development and digestive health are among the top five concerns for parents with babies under one. Meanwhile, interest in gut health is rising too 43Healthcare Professional survey; FrieslandCampina, Presans & Einerhand; USA, UK, CN; n=5-7 per country, May 2021 .
Every day, we learn more about how the gut microbiota influences wider human health. Good infant gut health relies on the gut being colonised by beneficial micro-organisms, which then form part of the baby’s gut microbiota 173Zhuang, L., Chen, H., Zhang, S., Zhuang, J., Li, Q., & Feng, Z. (2019). Intestinal Microbiota in Early
Life and Its Implications on Childhood Health. Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics, 17(1), 13–25.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gpb.2018.10.002. This is central to early childhood nutrition because the gut influences many aspects of health 173Zhuang, L., Chen, H., Zhang, S., Zhuang, J., Li, Q., & Feng, Z. (2019). Intestinal Microbiota in Early
Life and Its Implications on Childhood Health. Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics, 17(1), 13–25.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gpb.2018.10.002, including immunity 97Martin, R., Nauta, A. J., Ben Amor, K., Knippels, L. M. J., Knol, J., & Garssen, J. (2010). Early life: Gut
microbiota and immune development in infancy. Beneficial Microbes.
https://doi.org/10.3920/BM2010.0027, digestive comfort 59Martin, R., Nauta, A. J., Ben Amor, K., Knippels, L. M. J., Knol, J., & Garssen, J. (2010). Early life: Gut
microbiota and immune development in infancy. Beneficial Microbes.
https://doi.org/10.3920/BM2010.0027 and brain development 126Ratsika, A., Codagnone, M. C., O’mahony, S., Stanton, C., & Cryan, J. F. (2021). Priming for life: Early
life nutrition and the microbiota-gut-brain axis. In Nutrients. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020423.
The main influencer on infant immunity is the baby’s gut 154Vighi, G., Marcucci, F., Sensi, L., Di Cara, G. & Frati, F. Allergy and the gastrointestinal system. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 153, 3–6 (2008). Immune health can be supported in several different ways: by strengthening the gut barrier, inhibiting pathogen binding, modulating the immune response or by stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria 47Gewirtz, A. T. & Madara, J. L. (2001). Periscope, up! Monitoring microbes in the intestine. Nat. Immunol. 2001;2,288-290..
In their first year of life, over half of infants display at least one symptom of gut discomfort, such as regurgitation, colic or constipation 149Vandenplas, Y., Abkari, A., Bellaiche, M., Benninga, M., Chouraqui, J. P., Çokuorap, F., Harb, T., Hegar, B., Lifschitz, C., Ludwig, T., Miqdady, M., De Morais, M. B., Osatakul, S., Salvatore, S., Shamir, R., Staiano, A., Szajewska, H., & Thapar, N. (2015). Prevalence and health outcomes of functional gastrointestinal symptoms in infants from Birth to 12 Months of Age. In Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000000949 . These and other digestive issues can be tackled with dairy-derived ingredients. The mechanisms of action and benefits of these ingredients are widely researched, with studies stretching back to 1995.
The first year of life is a period of considerable growth and development for the brain. Researchers have identified the benefits to brain development of consuming the nutritional lipids DHA and ARA 62Innis, S. M. (2008). Dietary omega 3 fatty acids and the developing brain. In Brain Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2008.08.078 81Koletzko, B., Boey, C. C. M., Campoy, C., Carlson, S. E., Chang, N., Guillermo-Tuazon, M. A., Joshi, S., Prell, C., Quak, S. H., Sjarif, D. R., Su, Y., Supapannachart, S., Yamashiro, Y., & Osendarp, S. J. M. (2014). Current information and asian perspectives on long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in pregnancy, lactation, and infancy: Systematic review and practice recommendations from an early nutrition academy workshop. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1159/000365767 82Koletzko, B., Bergmann, K., Thomas Brenna, J., Calder, P. C., Campoy, C., Clandinin, M. T., Colombo, J., Daly, M., Decsi, T., Demmelmair, H., Domellöf, M., Fidlermis, N., Gonzalez-Casanova, I., Van Goudoever, J. B., Hadjipanayis, A., Hernell, O., Lapillonne, A., Mader, S., Martin, C. R., … Carlson, S. E. (2020). Should formula for infants provide arachidonic acid along with DHA? A position paper of the European Academy of Paediatrics and the Child Health Foundation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqz252 and the fermentation of oligosaccharides forms metabolites 126Ratsika, A., Codagnone, M. C., O’mahony, S., Stanton, C., & Cryan, J. F. (2021). Priming for life: Early life nutrition and the microbiota-gut-brain axis. In Nutrients. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020423 , which may impact cognition, brain development and even emotional wellbeing 135Silva YP, Bernardi A, Frozza RL. The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). Published online 2020.
We recently asked parents and healthcare professionals to tell us what’s most important to them when it comes to improving milk formulas for infants and young children (Innova Market Insights & FrieslandCampina Ingredients, 2020, FrieslandCampina, Presans & Einerhand Science & Innovation, 2021)
FrieslandCampina Ingredients is proud to play a global leadership role in the infant milk formula industry, backed by over 75 years of experience in ingredients manufacturing and research in early life nutrition. We never stop bringing the future forward through innovation—get in touch for more exclusive insights from parents and health care professionals.
