![Breast Milk’s Magic: COVID-19 Vaccine Boosts Baby’s Immunity Breast Milk’s Magic: COVID-19 Vaccine Boosts Baby’s Immunity](https://images.medindia.net/health-images/1200_1000/fenugreek-breast-feeding.jpg)
COVID-19 booster enhances IgG mediated viral neutralization by human milk in vitro
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Breastfeeding Moms Pass COVID Protection to Babies
The study is the third in a series that looks at antibody protection being transferred via breast milk from mothers who received their first two COVID-19 vaccinations and, now, the booster shot. The second publication reported the same antibody transfer via breast milk.‘Did you know? Lactating mothers transfer COVID-19 antibodies to infants via breast milk, offering them protection. #breastmilk #covidantibodies #infantshealth #medindia’
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“We think that breast milk may play an important role in protecting the infants during the first six months of life from COVID,” said Dr. Vivian Valcarce, a former UF College of Medicine researcher who worked on this study. She now is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “We continue to see babies being hospitalized from COVID-19 infections.”The study looked at how breast milk antibody protection changed when a mother received their first COVID-19 booster shot, said Joseph Larkin, UF/IFAS associate professor of microbiology and cell science and part of UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute. Researchers looked at the antibody response and antibody functionality in breast milk and tested to see if antibodies were present after the babies drank breast milk with COVID-19 antibodies.
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Along with antibodies, breast milk delivers proteins, fats, sugars, and white blood cells that work to fight infection and moderate inflammatory responses in infants.
“When babies are born, they have an immature immune system, so they rely heavily on mom’s immune system,” he said. “Breastfeeding can serve as a gap in between while babies are building their own immune system.” Larkin said some antibodies are transferred to fetuses through the placenta, as well, but that initial protection also lessens over time.
In this study, 14 lactating mothers and their babies were followed from before they received their COVID-19 booster until after they received their booster shots, Larkin said. Researchers tested the mothers’ blood to confirm their bodies made COVID-19 antibodies after a booster shot, tested breast milk to confirm the milk had antibodies in it, and tested babies’ poop to confirm antibodies were present in the babies’ bodies.
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The study was a collaboration between UF/IFAS and the UF College of Medicine and included Dr. Josef Neu, professor of pediatrics within the division of neonatology at the UF College of Medicine.
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Reference:
- COVID-19 booster enhances IgG mediated viral neutralization by human milk in vitro - (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1289413/full)
Source-Eurekalert