Bacteria Helps Infants Digest Milk More Effectively Than Adults
Infants have a distinct strain of bacteria in their digestive tract that is different from that of adults. It is this specific strain of bacteria that sets infants apart from adults when it comes to digesting and utilizing nutrients from milk. The genes that are most likely the cause of this difference have been studied and presented by researchers from the University of California, Davis and Utah State University.
Strains of the bacteria bifidobacterium longum have been found to grow in high quantities on human milk oligosaccharides (a component of milk). These strains also become evident during early formation of the infant gut. It has been suggested that the bacteria has two subspecies that are very important when it comes to the digestion of milk. The first is Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis and the second is Bifidobacterium longum subspecies longum. Each of these have a specialized function. The function of B. longum subsp. infantis is that is adapts itself to utilize milk carbon. This is found primarily in the digestive tract of children. The second, B. longum subsp. longum is used for plant-derived carbons instead of milk-derived carbons. This one is found more predominantly in adults. Therefore, it is more beneficial for infants and children to have milk in the early stages of life because they are getting more nutrients out of it; it's just the way our bodies have been designed.
It would be interesting to see what they can do with this information. What if they can find a way for these bacteria to be transplanted into people who are lactose intolerant? It would save so many from having to take lactaid pills every time they drink milk or eat milk products. I just recently started having an intolerance to milk and it's so annoying that I have to think twice before eating something I normally eat. Granted it introduced me to almond and soy products which are actually good but I still love my old fashioned milk!
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting! I had always heard that the older you get, the more intolerant you become to milk, but I never knew why. And, I always considered myself an exception, because I could never imagine not being able to drink milk or eat milk products. IF I am not the exception to the rule, I hope by the time I have to worry about it there will be an alternative (such as stealing the bacteria from babies and taking it as my own). However, I did always think it was kind of strange that we are the only animals that will take the milk from a different species and feed it to our own. Maybe soy is the way to go here.
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