Natural Birth vs. C-Section: Mice Reveal What Strengthens a Baby's Immune System

What's better for your baby: a natural birth or a Ceasarean section? Previous studies have actually found that children delivered by C-section have different intestinal flora than children delivered by natural birth. Now, scientists have found how these differences might influence a child later in life.

For this study, the researchers turned to newborn mouse pups. More specifically, they examined pups that were delivered by C-section and those who were delivered naturally. In the end, they found that those delivered by C-section had developed a lower number of cells that strength the immune system.

Newborns delivered by natural birth are exposed to more bacteria from their mother than those delivered by C-section. The pups born by C-section showed a lower number of cells of a type that plays an important role in preventing reactive immune cells from responding to molecules from the body itself, from the diet and from harmless intestinal bacteria. This could be of particular concern since autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, Chrohn's disease and allergy are characterized by an overreaction by the immune system.

The researchers also looked for signs of development of type 1 diabetes in pups delivered by C-section. They found no evidence of it, which means that it's likely that the effect of C-section is minimal. That said, scientists plan to conduct further studies to see whether pups born by C-section are predisposed to other autoimmune diseases.

The findings reveal that C-section may indeed play some role when it comes to the strength of a child's immune system. That said, more studies need to be conducted before any firm conclusions are drawn.

The findings are published in the Journal of Immunology.