A baby’s first poop can help predict risk of developing allergies
April 29, 2021
It may seem like an unusual place to go looking for answers, but the contents of a baby’s first diaper can reveal a lot about a newborn’s future health.
PWIAS Distinguished Professor, Dr. Brett FInlay, is the senior co-author of a new study published today in Cell Reports Medicine, He and a team of UBC researchers have shown that the composition of a baby’s first poop—a thick, dark green substance known as meconium—is associated with whether or not a child will develop allergies within their first year of life.
“Our analysis revealed that newborns who developed allergic sensitization by one year of age had significantly less ‘rich’ meconium at birth, compared to those who didn’t develop allergic sensitization,” says Dr. Finlay.
Meconium, which is typically passed within the first day of life, is made up of a variety of materials ingested and excreted during development, ranging from skin cells, amniotic fluid and various molecules known as metabolites.
Read the complete story at UBC News.
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