Artificial sweetener consumption by pregnant women has been associated with an increased risk of infant obesity, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The Gut Microbes paper "Maternal consumption of artificially sweetened beverages during pregnancy is associated with infant gut microbiota and metabolic modifications and increased infant body mass index", a collaboration between the Azad and Arrieta Labs, studied 100 infants from the CHILD Cohort Study. They found that overall, gestational exposure to artificially sweetened beverages ​was associated with gut microbiota structure in some infants, and gut microbiota structure was associated with infant BMI. Tweetorial here!

Diarrhea is a major cause of infant mortality. Azad Lab trainees Dhasni Muthumuni and Dr. Kozeta Miliku conducted this population-based study in collaboration with the ALSPAC Cohort titled "Enhanced Protection Against Diarrhea Among Breastfed Infants of Nonsecretor Mothers", published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. They found that breastfeeding by nonsecretor mothers was especially protective against diarrhea. Further understanding of this relationship could help reduce infant diarrheal mortality and improve processes for donor milk banking and provision. Tweetorial here!

A new Journal of DOHaD paper authored by Dr. Azad and colleagues using CHILD Cohort Study data explains a novel hypothesis as to why some children develop peanut allergies and others do not. "Reduced peanut sensitization with maternal peanut consumption and early peanut introduction while breastfeeding" describes this "triple exposure". When combined, infant peanut consumption, maternal peanut consumption, and breastfeeding appear to significantly reduce the risk of peanut sensitization. Check out the CHRIM press release and Tweetorial!

The Women’s Executive Network (WXN) Top 100 Most Powerful Women award recognize the highest achieving female leaders across Canada. Dr. Azad was among three University of Manitoba researchers named in this year’s final selection. When asked to describe what motivates her most, Azad explained, “I’m fueled by the excitement of doing cutting-edge science, and the drive to translate discoveries to make a meaningful impact on child health globally. I’m inspired by my team! Our projects are large, collaborative and transdisciplinary. We are constantly learning from and challenging each other to break new ground with our research.” Congratulations on this amazing achievement!

Drs. Azad and Brockway spoke at Preemie Power Week in November, hosted by the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation. Azad's presentation discussed "Milk and Microbes: How Breastfeeding and Gut Bacteria Shape Lifelong Health". Brockway's presentation discussed the iPOP Study, titled "Examining Trends in Global Preterm Rates During the Pandemic Lockdown". Click on either title to view the recorded presentations!

Human milk and the act of breastfeeding are critical in the development and maintenance of infant and maternal health. In an interview with CHRIM, Dr. Azad described how the research in this area has greatly improved our understanding of the origins of human health but has been fraught with increased tension between the research community and breastfeeding advocate groups. The workshop, “Breastfeeding and the Origins of Health: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Priorities,” organized by Drs Azad and Nickel, gathered experts from around the world to address these issues. The proceedings from this workshop describe key barriers in breastfeeding and human milk research and present an action plan to keep this important research moving forward.