Bifidobacterium bacteria are regarded as a vital part to infant health. They are supposed to prevent the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Mother's milk can help increase the development of Bifidobacterium. As the microbiome matures, Bifidobacterium decreases, and although it is a genus commonly found in the adult gut, its overall level generally makes up less than 3% of an individual’s total bacterial load.
The Bifidobacterium species are non-pathogenic, and are deliberately added to some food products because of their beneficial probiotic health effects, such as:
- better lactose tolerance
- the prevention of diarrhea
- a reduction in food allergies
- the inhibition of the growth of pathogenic organisms
References:
- Low Relative Abundances of the Mucolytic Bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium spp. in Feces of Children with Autism [L]
- Bifidobacteria: their impact on gut microbiota composition and their applications as probiotics in infants. [L]
- Nursing our microbiota: molecular linkages between bifidobacteria and milk oligosaccharides. [L]
Bifidobacterium species
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