The microbes that raise us: how early life shapes lifelong health

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?

In 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.

Drawing 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.

The 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.

Our 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.

Guests:

Meghan 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.

Nigel Field is a Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at UCL and Vice Dean Research in the Faculty of Population Health Sciences. He leads the Centre for Molecular Epidemiology and Translational Research at the UCL Institute for Global Health. Nigel’s research focuses on how microbes shape health across the life course. He leads internationally recognised work on the Baby Biome Study, which explores how gut microbes are transferred at birth and how this influences health later in life.

In this episode:

• What the microbiome is and why it matters for lifelong health
• How microbes help shape the immune system, metabolism and brain development
• What the Baby Biome Study and CHILD Cohort Study reveal about early-life microbial exposure
• How birth, infant feeding and antibiotics influence the developing microbiome
• Why breast milk feeds not only babies, but their microbes too
• The role of maternity leave, breastfeeding support and wider social systems in enabling healthy starts to life
• What researchers still don't know about the relationship between the microbiome and long-term health
• The future of microbiome research, from mental health to personalised medicine

This episode was hosted by Professor Rochelle Burgess, Community Health Psychologist and Professor at the UCL Institute for Global Health.

“What has disrupted your thinking?”

Professor Nigel Field: A tiny figurine from the British Museum that represents fertility and regeneration.

Professor Meghan Azad: A commissioned paper cutting of a microbial community that embodies the intersection of art and science.

Links:

Learn more about Meghan’s work at https://www.thrivediscovery.ca/

Learn more about the Baby Biome study: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/baby-biome-study

Production credits:

Public Health Disrupted with Rochelle Burgess and Xand van Tulleken is a podcast from UCL Health of the Public.

Recorded remotely and edited by Annabelle Buckland at Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative