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Current Issue #134
Issue Date: September 2026
Daily Yogurt Consumption Linked to Better Metabolic Health
Fermented dairy products such as yogurt are known to have metabolic health benefits – mediated in part by the effect these products have on the gut microbiota. In animal studies, researchers have found that supplementing food with yogurt or related products can reshape the gut microbiome, modulate immune signaling, and improve key markers of diabetes, including glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.
Need a Boost? Trans Fat in Milk Enhances Immunity
Breast milk is known to have a positive effect on the immune system. Previous studies have shown that breastfed infants have an expansion of regulatory T cells compared with infants who are formula fed [1]. Other studies have shown that breastfeeding lowers a child’s risk of developing asthma by promoting a healthy gut microbiome [2].
Orangutans’ Record-Breaking Lactation
Most of the great apes, including chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas, nurse their offspring for three to five years, longer than other mammals of their size. Orangutans take this trend to the extreme, nursing their offspring for years longer than their great ape cousins [1,2]. But precisely how many years longer is unclear, with estimates ranging from six to ten years [1-4]. This variability around weaning age is not surprising; observing milk transfer in the wild is notoriously difficult, particularly in arboreal mammals like orangutans that spend most of their time high in the forest canopy [1-4].
Sniffing or Tasting Breastmilk Reduces Preemies’ Risk of Developmental Delay
About one in every 10 babies worldwide is born before 40 weeks of gestation. Those born eight weeks early or fewer generally survive, but they have an increased risk of neurosensory issues such as blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, and a range of developmental delays.