Caroline Thum

Citation

Thesis Title
Effects of dietary caprine millk oligosaccharides enriched fraction on maternal large intestine and the consequences for the development of the offspring

Read article at Massey Research Online:

The microbiota that colonises our intestine as babies can have a significant impact on the development of our intestine and our immune system. The main source of these bacteria is our mother''sown microbiota. Prebiotics are compounds in foods that encourage the growth of health-promoting bacteria such as Bifidobacteria in the intestine. Human milk has high levels of special complex sugars called oligosaccharides, which act as prebiotics. Goat milk was found to have the oligosaccharide profile similar to that of human milk. Ms Thum attempted to understand whether feeding a mother with prebiotics found in goat milk had potential benefits for her baby’s development. Her findings suggested that goat milk oligosaccharides may improve the development of the infant intestine and increase the concentration of Bifidobacteria.

Supervisors
Dr Wc McNabb
Dr Adrian Cookson
Dr Don Otter
Dr Jolon Dyer
Dr Alison Hodgkinson
Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan
Dr Nicole Roy