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Nutrition in Infancy pp 255–265Cite as

The Role of Colonic Flora in Infants

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Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Abstract

At birth, the intestine is sterile and colonic function of the human infant is immature. The development of the colonic function (i.e., water absorption and carbohydrate fermentation) is related in part to that of the bacterial flora. The role of the bacterial flora (intestinal microbiota) has evolved in recent years and in addition to the metabolic functions that was known to perform, an important inmunoregulatory role has been established and the human microbiome project has been launched with the goal of identifying and characterizing the microorganisms which are found in association with both healthy and diseased humans. Modulation of the fecal flora by probiotics is the topic of active investigation. The role of the flora in health and disease is no longer a hypothesis. Characteristics of the flora have been implicated in as causing or perpetuating acute and chronic illnesses that may extend into adulthood. Products of carbohydrate fermentation have also been seen to play a regulatory role in the life cycle of the colonocyte, the epithelial cell of the colon. Both in infants and adults, a variable proportion of dietary carbohydrate is not absorbed in the small bowel and arrives in the colon where it undergoes bacterial fermentation. The products of this fermentation are short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), principally acetate, propionate, and butyrate [1], together with gases such as CO2, hydrogen (H2), and methane (CH4). A fraction of these products are absorbed through the colonic mucosa into the circulatory system; butyrate is utilized by the epithelial cells of the colon [2]; the rest is expelled through the anus as stools or flatus [3].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Italiano, Gascon 450, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Carlos H. Lifschitz M.D.

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  1. Carlos H. Lifschitz M.D.
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Correspondence to Carlos H. Lifschitz M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona Health Science Center, Mel and Enid Zuckerman, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin, Tucson, 85724-5155, Arizona, USA

    Ronald Ross Watson

  2. Centre for Gastroenterology, and Nutrition, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom

    George Grimble

  3. School of Medicine, Diabetes & Nutritional, King's College London, 150 Stamford St., London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  4. Division of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, 85724, Arizona, USA

    Sherma Zibadi

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Lifschitz, C.H. (2013). The Role of Colonic Flora in Infants. In: Watson, R., Grimble, G., Preedy, V., Zibadi, S. (eds) Nutrition in Infancy. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-254-4_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-254-4_20

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