Nature Paper: Breast Milk and Formula Nutrients are Processed by Gut Bacteria to Train the Immune System

Yale Professor and Food Allergy Science Initiative Principal Investigator Finds Possible Link Between Breast Milk Bacteria and Increased Immune Defenses

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Why do some children develop dangerous food allergies, while others remain allergy-free? According to the findings of a landmark study led by a Food Allergy Science Initiative principal investigator and published recently in Nature, the presence of a certain bacteria in the gut may help train the immune system and protect infants against allergic reactions.

The study, published in the June issue of Nature by Noah Palm, Ph.D., Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI) principal investigator and professor of immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, found that Bifidobacterium, a bacteria that dominates the gut microbiome in early life, can take a nutrient from dietary milk, either breast milk or supplemented infant formulas, and turn it into a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. They found that acetylcholine strengthened the gut's defenses by boosting production of IgA, a protective antibody that enhanced immune resistance against salmonella infections.

Microbiomes have traditionally been an unwieldy subject due to the complexity arising from communities of bacteria living within the gut. To home in on strain-specific mechanisms, Dr. Palm and his team deployed new screening tools to study how bacteria single-handedly behave, what they make, and how they interact within the body. They tested more than 100 bacterial strains and discovered the specific bacteria and their enzymes that transform an essential dietary nutrient for gut and brain health.

“This could change how the microbiome is studied going forward,” said Dr. Carlos Bosques, chief executive officer of FASI. “Dr. Palm's research uncovers specific bacteria settled in the gut that help shape how the immune system learns to respond to the food they eat, including whether it becomes more tolerant or more reactive. This kind of innovative discovery is exactly what FASI exists to support. It pinpoints a target, either the bacteria or their enzymes, that can be used to promote gut and brain health.”

"This work, while still in its early stages, reveals an additional layer of cooperation between the microbiome and the immune system," said Dr. Palm. “Our team is excited to add to a growing understanding of how the relationship between diet, gut bacteria, and the immune system may support the body's natural defenses.”

Since 2016, FASI has deployed over $50 million in research to support innovative food allergy research across different leading scientific institutions like Yale, where Dr. Palm’s lab is located.

The study, titled "Commensal-derived acetylcholine enhances mucosal immune education," appears in the July 23 print edition.

About FASI

The Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 2016 at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. FASI unites more than 100 scientists across 20-plus world-class laboratories working at the intersection of immunology, neuroscience, gastroenterology, microbiology, and computational biology. It is the first organization to bring these disciplines together under a single mission: to understand, treat, and cure food allergies. To date, FASI has funded $50 million in research across 126 grants at institutions including Harvard, Yale, and the Broad Institute. For more information, visit foodallergyscience.org.