French Kids’ Gut Bacteria Predicts Future Obesity
No one has a gut bacteria while they are in the womb. The trillions of tiny organisms that affect our digestion, brain, and even immune system start to live in us when we are born.
These organisms are shaped by our surroundings and circumstances, such as having a Caesarean birth or a vaginal birth, breastfeeding, and using antibiotics.
Scientists are still looking into the links between the microbiome and diseases like obesity, and one study I saw at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin caught my eye.
A group of French researchers found that a toddler's gut bacteria at age 3 and a half could predict their BMI a year and a half later.
This shows how important the microbiome can be when it comes to weight.
Gael Toubon, a doctoral student at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) who led the study, said that children with a higher ratio of a type of bacteria ...
that affects how energy is taken from food at age three were more likely to have a higher body mass index at age five.
Researchers and people who work in public health are trying to figure out how to stop children from getting too fat before it becomes a problem for the rest of their lives.
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