Biological Liquid Gold: Why Breast Milk Isn’t Actually for the Baby (It’s for the Microbes) with Prof. Chris Stewart

Join Dr. Siobhan McCormack as she welcomes one of the top early-life microbiome scientists in the field, Professor Chris Stewart. Discover the origins of your gut microbiome, the biological superpowers of breast milk, and how lab-grown "organoids" are uncovering surprising ways to protect preterm babies.

What We Cover:

• The Genesis of You: How birth mode and early feeding shape our microbial foundations.
• Inside the Stewart Lab: Using lab-grown human "organoids" to study host-microbe interactions in real-time.
• The Magic of HMOs: Why mothers produce complex sugars (Human Milk Oligosaccharides) that feed gut microbes instead of the baby.
• The "Good" Clostridium: Groundbreaking research on a specific Clostridium perfringens strain that thrives on HMOs to protect preterm infants from gut diseases.
• Probiotics & Preemies: Navigating FDA regulations and the future of personalized medicine in neonatal care.

About

Professor Stewart leads human microbiome research at Newcastle University. His lab combines computational biology with innovative wet-lab human organoid models to study global health issues, focusing primarily on the early-life gut microbiome and protecting vulnerable infants.

Connect with the Stewart Lab:

• Newcastle University Profile
• Google Scholar
• Twitter
• Newcastle Neonatal Nutrition and NEC Research (N4)

Scientific References & Further Reading:

• Stewart CJ, et al. (2018). Temporal development of the gut microbiome in early childhood from the TEDDY study. Nature, 562(7728):583–8.
• Chapman JA, et al. (2026). Clostridia from preterm infants metabolize human milk oligosaccharides to suppress pathobionts and modulate intestinal function in organoids. Nat Microbiol, 1–20.
• Masi AC, et al. (2021). Human milk oligosaccharide DSLNT and gut microbiome in preterm infants predicts necrotising enterocolitis. Gut, 70(12):2273–82.
• Beck LC, et al. (2022). Strain-specific impacts of probiotics are a significant driver of gut microbiome development in very preterm infants. Nat Microbiol, 7(10):1525–35.
• UNICEF UK: Breastfeeding in the UK

This podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.

Disclaimer:

The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.