Grant: Project Grant

It is well recognized that breast feeding is beneficial for the future health of children. Breastfed babies may have a lower risk of allergies later in life, but research on this topic has been inconsistent. There are a number of factors in breast milk that help shape immune development, including beneficial bacteria and proteins that regulate the immune system, called cytokines. Recently it has become recognized that breast milk also contains a protein known as "soluble Toll-like receptor 2" (sTLR2). This protein can alter the way the body responds to bacteria and fungi in the environment, and we suspect that sTLR2 may also help prevent the development of allergies. In our studies we will examine sTLR2, beneficial bacteria and other immune regulators in breast milk and determine the relationship between these factors and the development of allergic diseases in a large cohort of Canadian children from the national CHILD Study. We will also directly examine the importance of sTLR2 in milk for preventing food allergy in mice.