Regulatory T cells or the immune cells that expand in the human body in the first three weeks after birth in breastfed babies are nearly twice as abundant as in formula-fed babies, reveals a new research. A recent study conducted by Dr Gergely Toldi and team from the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute, UK, investigated how the immune cells expand in the first three weeks after birth in breastfed babies and found the biological mechanisms that link breast milk to a reduced risk of babies developing immune system disorders such as asthma. 

Dr Toldi said in his paper that this research underlines the importance of breast milk and shows how exactly the beneficial effects happen. 

“A better understanding may encourage breastfeeding, and also potentially help the manufacturers of formula milk to improve their products to better support babies’ health,” he said adding that his future research would focus on how different types of milk affect the production in a baby’s gut of short chain fatty acids which, in turn, may be linked to the production and function of regulatory T cells.