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Volatile fatty acids, lactic acid, and pH in the stools of breast-fed and bottle-fed infants
1Instituto de Gastroenterologia Dr. Jorge Perez Companc, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Insights
Infant diets significantly impact gut health. Breast milk promotes lower fecal pH and higher lactic acid, favoring beneficial Bifidobacteria growth for infection protection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Gastroenterology
- Microbiome Research
Background:
- Infant gut microbiota composition is influenced by diet.
- Fecal parameters like pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA), and lactic acid are key indicators of gut health.
- Breast milk is known to promote a distinct gut environment compared to formula or cow's milk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare fecal pH, VFA, and lactic acid concentrations in infants on different diets.
- To investigate the impact of human milk, formula, cow's milk, and supplemented diets on infant fecal parameters.
- To correlate these fecal parameters with potential protective factors against gastrointestinal infections.
Main Methods:
- Fecal samples were collected from 67 healthy infants aged 1-5 months.
- Infants were categorized into five dietary groups: human milk, formula, cow's milk, human milk + formula, and human milk + cow's milk.
- Fecal pH, VFA, and lactic acid concentrations were measured for each group.
Main Results:
- Bottle-fed infants (formula, cow's milk) had higher fecal pH and VFA, and lower lactic acid than breast-fed infants.
- Supplementing human milk with formula or cow's milk altered fecal pH, VFA, and lactic acid profiles.
- No significant differences were observed between formula and cow's milk groups in these parameters.
Conclusions:
- Diet significantly modulates the infant gut environment, affecting key fecal parameters.
- Breast milk creates an acidic, low VFA, high lactic acid environment conducive to Bifidobacteria.
- This gut environment fostered by breast milk is likely a primary defense against infant gastrointestinal infections.
Abstract:
We measured fecal pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA), and lactic acid concentrations in 67 healthy infants ranging in age from 1 to 5 months. The babies were divided into five groups according to their diet: group 1: human milk, with subgroups of 1 month of age (n = 8), and 2-5 months (n = 12); group 2: formula milk, with subgroups of 1 month of age (n = 9) and 2-5 months (n = 10); group 3: cow's milk, one group of 2-5 months of age (n = 12); group 4: human milk supplemented with formula milk, 2-5 months of age (n = 8); and group 5: human milk supplemented with cow's milk, 2-5 months of age (n = 8). Fecal VFA concentration and pH of bottle-fed infants (groups 2 and 3) were significantly higher and lactic acid concentrations significantly lower than those of the breast-fed group. Groups 4 and 5 showed significantly higher pH and propionic acid concentration, and lower lactic acid concentration than Group 1 did. There were no significant differences in the data on pH, VFA, and lactic acid concentrations between the feces of formula and cow's milk groups. On the other hand, the addition of formula or cow's milk to the human milk was sufficient to alter the profile of VFA, the pH, and the lactic acid concentration of breast-fed infants stools. Low pH, low VFA, and high lactic acid concentrations make the colonic content of breast-fed babies an environment favorable for Bifidobacteria growth, and this is probably the main protective factor against gastrointestinal infections.