Knowledge

Alba Health was founded in 2022 by Eleonora Cavani and Prof. Willem M de Vos, two passionate pioneers driven by personal experiences and professional expertise. Eleonora Cavani, whose battle with severe eczema led her to explore the profound effects of diet and gut health on chronic conditions, joined forces with Willem, a globally recognized microbiome scientist with over 800 publications. Together, they embarked on a mission to understand and enhance the early life microbiome, focusing on children from newborns to two-year-olds. Their work emphasizes the critical role the gut microbiome plays in shaping a child’s immune system, metabolism, and cognition, leading to a healthier future.

Let's delve deeper into Alba Health’s groundbreaking work and insights through an enlightening interview with Eleonora Cavani, CEO and Co-Founder.

·      Can you share the story behind the founding of Alba Health and what inspired you to focus on child gut health?

I suffered from severe eczema, covering my entire body for many years - it was a terrible condition. I studied science and worked ineczema research, but what truly changed my life was to change diet and to learn more about the gut microbiome. Now I happily live without symptoms, but I have several allergies and food restrictions. I started to talk to scientists around the world to understand why I am so sensitive and why allergies, eczema and asthma - which are interconnected - are becoming more common. I surprisingly found out that the answer might be in our gut - in the first years of life.

·      Can you elaborate on the ways in which the first years of life of an infant are crucial for its health and development in the future? Has your research showed specific links with the gut microbiome?

In the first years of life, our immune system, metabolism and cognition are shaped - for life. The gut microbiome has an important role in these development processes, for example, some specific bacteria help train the immune system in the first 6-12 months of life. I started Alba Health with Prof. Willem M de Vos, a pioneer in microbiome science with over 800 publications. In brief, research shows that some combinations of gut bacteria, at the right time, in the right order are associated with health later in life - while other patterns are associated with conditions like allergies, asthma and obesity. 

·      What advancements has Alba Health made inthe microbiome field, and how do these contribute to improving baby’s health?

We offer a gut microbiome test developed specificallyfor children - parents get detailed results on the gut microbiome and anutritional plan supported by certified Nutrition & Health Coaches, toimprove their lifestyle and wellbeing. We are the first and only company inthis field to have a proprietary longitudinal study involving 300 families and300,000 data points (the PREVENT study). In this study, we have collectedgut microbiome data over time, as well as data on the children's health. Thisis important because we can compare your child's sample to a reference ofchildren who turned out to be healthy at a later age!

·      What role do you envision Alba Health playing in shaping the future of child gut health and microbiome science?

Firstly, the feedback on our product from our customers has been strongly positive - we are happy to hear more and more families learn evidence-based strategies to improve their children's lifestyle and wellbeing through Alba. Secondly, 90% of our users choose to opt into research, which means their anonymized data will be used to develop new solutions and advance research in child health (together with the data collected in the PREVENT study). Over 50% of all newborns have gut symptoms and often these issues are unresolved, keeping millions of parents and babies up at night. We're here to change that, in collaboration with 4 universities, including Uppsala University.

·      Does Alba Health have any upcominginitiatives you are particularly excited about?

We recently started doing weekly Instagram Lives talking about child gut microbiome and nutrition with experts and it's been a success! We have been growing our audience and engagement by +70% month-on-month and wesee a strong interest in this topic. Help us spread the word and join us to learn more on Instagram at @albahealth.co.

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