The nervous system’s center is the brain. The circulatory system relies on the lungs and heart. But do you know where your immune system lives? It’s in your gut! It turns out that most of your immune system response happens in your stomach and intestines, and the bacteria that live there—your gut microbiome—are crucial to a healthy immune system.
Babies are inoculated at birth with a microbiome of bacteria from their mothers, and breastfeeding helps strengthen it even more. The microbiome is made up of “good” bacteria that crowd out bad bacteria and harmful microbes that could make baby sick. Without enough good bacteria, germs and toxins from the environment can trigger allergic reactions, inflammation, and chronic illness. Luckily, breastmilk has special components that feed the good bacteria, so breastfeeding for six months is the best way to set your baby up for a healthy life. Plus, you can unlock even more of breastmilk’s potential with a baby probiotic called Evivo™.
A fresh start
A baby’s first six months are incredibly important for developing a healthy gut microbiome that will lead to a strong immune system. This is exactly why the World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life: Breastmilk contains all the nutrition your baby needs, plus extra nutrition intended to feed the good bacteria in her gut.
Special sugars called HMOs (human milk oligosaccharides) that are abundant in breastmilk play a crucial role in developing your baby’s healthy gut microbiome. These HMOs aren’t food for baby, they are food for baby’s gut.
The role of B. infantis
Unfortunately, one important strain of good bacteria, B. infantis, is now missing from the gut microbiomes of up to 97 percent of babies in the United States. In breastfed babies, B. infantis feeds on HMOs, the nondigestible parts of breastmik, turning them into usable nutrition. At the same time, this prevents the bad bacteria from also munching on the HMOs, letting B. infantis thrive while the bad bacteria can’t flourish.
B. infantis is still found in the gut microbiomes of babies in developing countries like Bangladesh, Gambia, and Malwai, and this results in lower incidence of eczema, allergies, diabetes, and obesity. Medical practices in the developed world, such as a higher C-section rate, greater use of antibiotics, and more common formula-feeding, are responsible for B. infantis missing in the gut microbiome of babies in more industrial countries.
How Evivo supports a healthy immune system
Luckily, you can replace the B. infantis in your baby’s gut with a specially designed probiotic for breastfed babies – Evivo. You mix a packet of Evivo with a little breastmilk and feed it to your baby once a day, for as long as you’re breastfeeding.
The live B. infantis bacteria in Evivo helps digest all the components of breastmilk so they can boost your baby’s metabolism as well as her immune system. Babies who are fed Evivo even tend to have fewer poops and ones that are more well formed since the HMOs in breast milk are fully utilized and not pooped out. Plus, Evivo contains no artificial colors, dyes, flavors, or preservatives, and it’s gluten free.
The lack of B. infantis in modern babies’ guts isn’t anyone’s fault, but thanks to Evivo, you can restore your baby’s gut microbiome to its natural state, setting her up for a healthy life. To learn more, visit www.evivo.com
