{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Public Health Disrupted","title":"The microbes that raise us: how early life shapes lifelong health","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2790,"description":"From the moment we are born, microbes begin to shape our development. But what role do these early microbial communities play in our long-term health?\nIn this episode, Professor Rochelle Burgess is joined by Professor Meghan Azad and UCL Professor Nigel Field to explore the science of the infant microbiome and what it can teach us about lifelong health.\n\nDrawing on findings from major studies in Canada and the UK, the conversation examines how birth, infant feeding and early-life exposures influence the development of the microbiome. We discover how these earliest encounters with microbes may impact immune function, allergies, infections and future health outcomes.\n\nThe discussion also explores the wider public health implications of this research, from maternity care and breastfeeding support to the growing commercial market for microbiome-based products. \n\nOur guests reflect on how health systems can better support babies and families during the first critical months of life, while navigating the complex social, political and economic realities surrounding infant feeding and birth choices.\n\nGuests:\nMeghan Azad is a Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Early Life Nutrition and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Her research focuses on the role of infant nutrition and the microbiome in shaping child growth, development, and resilience. Meghan directs the Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC) and leads the International Milk Composition (IMiC) Consortium, a network advancing multi-omic studies of human milk. She also serves as Knowledge Mobilization Co-Chair for the CHILD Cohort Study, a national pregnancy cohort following 3,500 Canadian children to understand how early life experiences influence lifelong health.\nNigel Field is a Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at UCL and Vice Dean Research in the Faculty of Population Health Sciences. He leads...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/-zazKFW8it_wVsut-v_CdWztgGGRF02TN_T6DcTQGx4/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lNTYz/OGE3OTUyMGRkNjk1/OGVmZmE3OTFlMDQ3/YzkwNy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}