{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T17:29:58Z","timestamp":1786987798884,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786924800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan","award":["BR24992814"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BR24992814"]}]},{"award":["BR24992814"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BR24992814"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05tyne317","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomolecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Mare\u2019s milk has gained attention as a functional food due to its bioactive compounds and potential microbiome-modulating properties. This systematic review evaluated the evidence on its potential role in gut microbiome restoration and immune modulation following COVID-19, particularly in pediatric and maternal populations. Methods: PubMed\/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were systematically searched for studies investigating mare\u2019s milk or koumiss and their effects on gut microbiota, immune responses, inflammatory markers, or gastrointestinal outcomes. Results: Eight studies were included: five examined COVID-19-associated gut microbiome alterations, and three investigated the biological effects of mare\u2019s milk or fermented mare\u2019s milk. COVID-19 was consistently associated with reduced microbial diversity, depletion of beneficial bacteria, and enrichment of opportunistic pathogens, with some changes persisting after recovery. Conclusions: Koumiss demonstrates biologically plausible microbiome-modulating and immunoregulatory properties that may support recovery from COVID-19-associated gut dysbiosis. However, current evidence remains indirect, and clinical studies are needed before recommendations can be made.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biom16081203","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T16:35:08Z","timestamp":1786984508000},"page":"1203","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Mare\u2019s Milk for Gut Microbiome Restoration and Immune Recovery After COVID-19 in Children and Pregnant Women: A Hypothesis-Generating Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Zhanna","family":"Rakhimbayeva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdujalil","family":"Mussayev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University Named After B.N. Yeltsin, Bishkek 720000, Kyrgyzstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5655-5465","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ainash","family":"Oshibayeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2139-3221","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gulnaz","family":"Nuskabayeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saltanat","family":"Kyrykbayeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Strategic Development, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lazzat","family":"Begimbekova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saltanat","family":"Khudaibergenova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9120-8565","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karlygash","family":"Sadykova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhanar","family":"Zhagiparova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan 161000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamad","family":"Aljofan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"The Human Microbiome Project Consortium (2012). 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