C-section infants given ‘poo milkshakes’ in weird new trial – however do not strive it at house
In a gut-churning trial, babies delivered by caesarean are being fed ‘poo milkshakes’.
The radical treatment sees babies consuming small amounts of their mother’s poo to see if it benefits their gut bacteria.
Initial results indicate that the rank-sounding beverage does succeed in changing the babies’ gut microbiome, reports iNews.
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While never something you would order in a café, the trial is based on a body of research that suggests colon bacteria could play a role in our overall health.
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Babies born by C-section have a different distribution of bacteria present in their gut than those delivered vaginally. Doctors have also noted that children born by caesarean have slightly higher rates of particular medical conditions such as obesity and asthma.
This suggests these babies don’t ingest their mother’s bacteria as they are born. Finnish researchers have been looking into whether this bacteria can be safely added to a baby’s first feed of breastmilk.
Before going into the labour, women had a stool sample taken, which was tested for harmful pathogens. After birth, 3.5mg of this poo was mixed into a small amount of the mother’s milk and fed to her baby.
(Image: Getty Images)
As part of the trial, 15 babies were given a poo milkshake, whole 16 were given a placebo, without the key ingredient. Dr Otto Helve of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare told journal Nature, that from the second day after birth a difference between the two groups’ gut bacteria was notable. This difference lasted until the babies were six months and moving on to solid foods.
The trial is set to continue until 30 babies have been fed the special concoction, and all children will be monitored until aged two. The study said that “the aim of the trial is to… gain insight into the mechanisms involved in immune development and its association with early microbiota composition”.
Others doctors have pointed out that the study had only seen a change in gut microbiome, and not any health benefits, while others argue that microbiome research hasn’t advanced enough to warrant such a bold trial.
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All doctors however, advise not to make your own poo milkshake at home. Obstetrician and adviser to charity Group B Strep Support Jane Plumb said; “We’d strongly recommend against giving your baby a ‘poo milkshake’ at home.
“You could expose your baby to group B Strep (GBS) or other potentially dangerous bacteria, and inadvertently cause them to fall very ill indeed.”
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