New mums can protect their infants through diet

A new study in India (on mice) has shown that eating broccoli and other “cruciferous” veggies (or specifically the indoles in them) helps infants ward off cryptosporidium, a common cause of diarrhoea and, in that setting, severe illness.  It seems that giving indoles helps the production of CD8+ T cells in the intestinal lining, part of the body’s first line of defence against invading organisms.  Mice mums fed indoles whose babies were then exposed to the cryptosporidium did not get ill.  The links between gut health and mental health are now well established and growing every day….

So eat your veggies while breast feeding (if you are/can!).

Maradana M and Marzook B et al. Dietary environmental factors shape the immune defence against Cryptosporidium infection. Cell Host & Microbe 4 December 2023; doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.11.008