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In this episode of Behind the Latch, Margaret interviews Dr. Valérie Verhasselt, Professor of Immunology at the University of Western Australia and Head of the LRF Centre for Immunology and Breastfeeding. Dr. Verhasselt discusses her groundbreaking research on colostrum and food allergy prevention, focusing on her recent study demonstrating that partial colostrum feeding in the first 72 hours of life increases the risk of peanut allergy, while exclusive colostrum feeding appears profoundly protective.

Her findings offer a powerful reframing of early postpartum lactation care: the risk may not stem solely from early cow’s milk exposure, but from reduced colostrum intake during the critical adaptation period when the newborn’s gut, immune system, and microbiota are being programmed. She explains how colostrum’s unique concentration of growth factors, IgA, vitamin A, and immune-modulating bioactive components help seal the gut, seed the microbiome, strengthen the skin barrier, and establish immune tolerance—laying the foundation for lifelong resilience.

Dr. Verhasselt also shares insights from mouse models, discusses why donor mature milk is not a substitute for colostrum, and explores future directions including donor colostrum banks, colostrum-derived therapeutics, and new research on colostrum’s role in brain development.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40968490/

🔍 What We Talk About

• How Dr. Verhasselt entered lactation immunology after a “flash” inspiration during her early research career
• Why the transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life makes newborns uniquely vulnerable to allergy development
• How colostrum supports gut closure, immune regulation, microbiota seeding, and skin barrier maturation
• Why giving formula in the first days displaces colostrum intake rather than simply “topping up”
• Evidence showing a five-fold increase in peanut allergy among infants who received partial colostrum feeding
• The striking finding that no infants who received ≥9 colostrum feeds developed peanut allergy by 12–18 months
• What early formula exposure does to the infant microbiome weeks and months later
• How parental allergy risk influences—but does not override—the protective effect of colostrum
• Why exclusive breastfeeding data often overlook the critical first 72 hours
• The interplay between infant skin permeability, environmental exposure, detergent use, and allergy sensitization
• What mouse models teach us about colostrum, mature milk, and developmental programming
• Why donor milk does not replicate colostrum’s early immunological function
• The concept of exclusive colostrum feeding as a distinct clinical and public health priority
• Future research avenues: colostrum-derived metabolites, donor colostrum banks, and early-life allergy prevention strategies

🧠 Key Takeaways for Clinicians

• Colostrum’s immunological role is unique and time-sensitive—its composition cannot be replicated by mature milk, donor milk, or formula.
• Supplementation in the first days displaces colostrum volume, which may be the primary mechanism increasing allergy risk.
• As few as nine colostrum feeds in the first 72 hours appear profoundly protective against peanut allergy.
• Early formula exposure—even brief—can alter the infant gut microbiota for months.
• The newborn’s gut and skin barriers are uniquely permeable, making early antigen exposure highly consequential.
• Parents who partially colostrum feed may benefit from earlier peanut introduction, while exclusively colostrum-fed infants may have more flexibility.
• The language we use (“milk coming in”) can unintentionally undermine parents’ confidence; reframing colostrum as “the milk for those days” is more accurate and supportive.
• Research supports reframing early postpartum care around exclusive colostrum feeding, not just exclusive breastfeeding.

👩‍🏫 Guest

Dr. Valérie Verhasselt, MD, PhD

Professor, University of Western Australia

Head, LRF Centre for Immunology and Breastfeeding

Perth Children’s Hospital, Telethon Kids Institute

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🎙 Podcast: Behind the Latch

Hosted by: Margaret Salty

Music by: The Magnifiers – My Time Traveling Machine

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