Abstract

DELGADO OJEDA, Jesús  and  SANTAMARIA ORLEANS, Alicia. Early life nutrition and immunity. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2023, vol.40, n.spe2, pp.16-19.  Epub Dec 18, 2023. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.20960/nh.04948.

The first 1,000 days of life, from conception to two years of age, are a critical time window for human growth and development, since the interaction of different factors can generate relevant changes in different structures and functions of the organism, both at short and long term.

Most of the studies in this area have been carried out in the prenatal and neonatal period. Some of the most relevant factors that can affect immune development at this time are smoking, maternal obesity and inadequate intake of micronutrients during pregnancy. In the case of the postnatal period, breastfeeding is primarily the most important factor related to the nutritional and immunological status of the newborn, also being associated with a protective effect against obesity. Subsequently, the proper introduction of complementary feeding will be essential to offer an adequate percentage of nutrients.

Likewise, the intestinal microbiota also plays a key role during this period since it is part of different metabolic, protective, and immunological functions of the host. Fluctuations in homeostasis will condition the appearance of dysbiosis, which is associated with the development of different diseases in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

Keywords : Early nutrition; Immunity; Non-communicable diseases; Gut microbiota; Pregnancy; Lactation; Supplementary feeding.

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