Method for stimulating intestinal barrier integrity after non-natural birth

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for feeding and stimulating the health of infants delivered via caesarean section comprising administering long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and/or nucleotides.

1 . A method for stimulating development of healthy intestinal flora in an infant delivered by caesarian section by increasing species diversity of the  Bifidobacteria  in the intestines of the infant, comprising feeding to an infant delivered by caesarian section and suffering from low intestinal  Bifidobacteria  counts and/or lacking adequate species diversity of  Bifidobacteria , a composition comprising:
 (a) a  Bifidobacteria  consisting of  Bifidobacterium breve ; and   (b) at least non-digestible galacto-oligosaccharides; wherein the composition is not human breast milk, and wherein the administration increases the amount of intestinal  Bifidobacterium breve  and other  Bifidobacterium  species.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises one or more of the following non-digestible oligosaccharides: fructan, fructo-oligosaccharide, non-digestible dextrin, xylo-oligosaccharide, arabino-oligosaccharide, arabino-galacto-oligosaccharide, gluco-oligosaccharide, chito-oligosaccharide, gluco-manno-oligosaccharide, galacto-manno-oligosaccharide, mannan-oligosaccharide, fuco-oligosaccharide, galacturonic oligosaccharide, guluronic acid oligosaccharide, mannuronic acid oligosaccharide, iduronic acid oligosaccharide, riburonic acid oligosaccharide, glucuronic acid or oligosaccharide. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises a trans-galacto-oligosaccharide and/or a fructooligosaccharide. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the composition comprises at least one of: (i) a nucleotide; and (ii) a nucleotide precursor selected from the group consisting of nucleosides, purine bases, pyrimidine bases, ribose and deoxyribose. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the LC-PUFA is selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the LC-PUFA content is 0.1 to 15 wt. % based on weight of total lipid in the composition. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the LC-PUFA content is less than 3 wt. %, and wherein
 (a) omega-3 LC-PUFA present in the composition is below 1 wt. % of total lipid content;   (b) omega-6 LC-PUFA present in the composition is below 2 wt. % of the total lipid content; and   (c) arachidonic acid present in the composition is below 1 wt. % of the total lipid content.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one nucleotide is selected from the group consisting of cytidine 5′-monophosphate, uridine 5′-monophosphate, adenosine 5′-monophosphate, guanosine 5′-monophosphate, inosine 5′-monophosphate, and a sodium salt of any of said nucleotides. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the nucleotide is present at a concentration of 5 to 100 mg per 100 gram dry weight of the composition. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises:
 (i) a lipid component that provides 5 to 50% of the total calories of the composition, 
 (ii) a protein component that provides 5 to 50% of the total calories of the composition, and 
 (iii) a carbohydrate component that provides 15 to 90% of the total calories of the composition. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA). 
     
     
         12 . A method for stimulating development of healthy intestinal flora in an infant delivered by caesarian section by increasing species diversity of the  Bifidobacteria  in the intestines of the infant, comprising:
 (a) identifying an infant delivered via caesarean section and suffering from low intestinal  Bifidobacteria  counts and/or lacking adequate species diversity of  Bifidobacteria ; and   (b) feeding the infant, a composition comprising:
 (i) a  Bifidobacterium  consisting of  Bifidobacterium breve , and 
 (ii) at least non-digestible galacto-oligosaccharides; 
   
       wherein the composition is not human breast milk, and wherein the administration increases the amount of intestinal  Bifidobacterium breve  and other  Bifidobacterium  species.