Babies born by caesarean section may lack the richness and diversity of healthy bacteria shown in babies born naturally, which could have potential health outcomes in later life. However, there is no evidence that being born by c-section can increase the risk of a child developing a life-limiting condition such as asthma later in life.
A Canadian study examined the bacteria in the gut of 24 babies to test the theory that natural delivery and breastfeeding helps health bacteria form in the gut.
The study was a very small one, involving only 24 babies, and the researchers formed no definitive conclusion from their work, only noting the differences in bacteria formation between babies delivered naturally and those born by c-section. The basis of their research was to test the theory that natural delivery and breastfeeding is responsible for health bacteria production.
They found that c-section babies did have lower “richness” and diversity of bacteria but this difference was not evident when they compared breastfed and formula-fed babies. Babies fed on formula, in fact, had the highest bacterial richness. However, breastfed babies had significantly lower levels of the dangerous bacteria clostridium difficile (C-diff) than those babies who were fed on formula.
The production of bacteria in the gut is important because healthy bacteria is essential for good health and a lack of the diverse bacteria is linked to diseases such as type 1 diabetes, cancer, allergies, asthma and obesity.
However, there is little or no information or research into what effect the development of bacteria in the gut has on an individual.
The implications of the Canadian findings are not yet known and further research is required into whether there is any significance in the difference in bacteria between c-section and naturally born babies, and how that could impact on future diseases or long-term health.
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