Terrible Two's?

Check-in with your Child's Gut Microbiome

No two children have the same microbiome. That’s right! Their microbiomes are so unique, just like their fingerprints (1). So, while it is vital for the microbiome to be balanced for good health, the definition of a healthy and balanced microbiome differs from child to child depending on their age, where they live, genetics etc (2). When a good microbiome composition is maintained, health is preserved. However, there are several factors which can tip the balance and make them more vulnerable to diseases. 

What makes the microbiome healthy?

When you think of the microbiome, think diversity and balance. These are the two main factors that determine the health of the microbiome. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance, and low diversity can affect a child’s defence against infections, behaviour, and even the risk for diseases, such as bowel disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders (3). 

The microbiome is dynamic in nature and its composition can be influenced by many factors (3). Mode of delivery, early feeding practices, geographical location, antibiotic exposure, diet quality, mother’s microbiome, medication use, genetics, and social stressors are some of the factors that impact the microbiome and ultimately, behaviour (3). 

How does the microbiome affect behaviour?

Flannery et al. looked at how socioeconomic risk factors, such as an unsafe neighbourhood, use of social services, family illness, and poverty-related events, are related to behaviour in school-aged children and the microbiome (4). They concluded that socioeconomic status impacted the diversity of the microbiome (4). Similarly, behaviours and mood, such as aggression, anger, impulsivity, fear, and sadness, also influenced the number and diversity of gut bacteria (4). The level of one bacterial species, in particular, coincided with reduced aggression, emotional reactivity, externalizing behaviour, sadness, and impulsivity in the children (4). 

Similarly, another group of researchers, Christian et al., explored the relationship between temperament and the gut microbiome in children aged 18-27 months (5). Greater diversity of the microbiome coincided with greater surgency and extraversion in these children (5). 

While we cannot say with 100% confidence if the microbiome is affecting behaviour or whether the behaviour is impacting the microbiome in these two studies, they definitely offer a lot of great evidence for the link between microbiome and behaviour in children. All we need now is the tools to tweak this relationship whenever we sense any disruptions.

How can I support my child’s microbiome?

A well-balanced and diverse gut microbiome is a healthy gut microbiome. Here are some tips to support the health of your child’s microbiome:

1. Focus on complex carbohydrate food sources, such as whole grain toast, and lots of colourful fruits and veggies. Diet quality, especially in the first three years of life when the microbiome changes rapidly, can affect the microbiome significantly. A higher fibre and complex carbohydrate diet with plant-sourced foods, such as the Mediterranean diet, has been shown to improve gut health as it provides the microbiome with essential nutrients to thrive (6). Also, remember to supplement your child’s diet with health-promoting behaviours, such as physical activity, reduced screen time, and mind-stimulating activities.

2. In the case of breast-fed infants, initiate breastfeeding earlier on in your child’s life. Breastmilk contains many nutrients for the microbiome, such as prebiotics, antibodies, oligosaccharides, and beneficial bacteria, which allows it to thrive and adds to the diversity of your child’s gut (7).

3. Reduce exposure to antibiotics. While antibiotics can treat infections, they also harm the ‘good bacteria’ in the gut microbiome, which leads to imbalance and reduced diversity. Whenever possible, strive to minimize your child’s exposure to antibiotics (7).

4. Support the gut microbiome with probiotic foods, such as yogurt, kefir, nutrition bars, cottage cheese, and pickles. Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms which are added to food and provide several health benefits, including populating the good bacteria in the gut and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome (7).

5. Incorporate prebiotic-rich food sources into your child’s meals, such as bananas, berries, and flax. Prebiotics are components of food, such as fructo-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides, and inulin, which pass through our digestive tract without undergoing digestion. Think of them as food for gut microbes (7). 

6. Moderate environmental and social stressors. Low microbial diversity and decrease in the number of good bacteria can occur when someone is exposed to chronic stress and anxiety (3). Caregivers play an important role in shaping their child’s experiences with the world (4). During this period of rapid behavioural and physiological development, caregivers should be especially careful about their child’s exposure to stressful situations. Buffering these stressors is an effective strategy for reducing depressive problems and inhibitory control in children while preserving the function of the microbiome (4).  

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Blog Contributor

Maria Fatima, Dietetic intern

Masters Program

References:

1. Franzosa EA, Huang K, Meadow JF, Gevers D, Lemon KP, Bohannan BJM, Huttenhower C. Identifying personal microbiomes using metagenomic codes. PNAS. 2015;112(22): e2930-e2938. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1423854112. 

2. Mohammadkhah AI, Simpson EB, Patterson SG, Ferguson JF. Development of the gut microbiome in children and lifetime implications for obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Children (Basel). 2018;5(12):160. https://doi.org/10.3390/children5120160.

3. Dinan TG, Cryan JF. The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour: implications for psychiatry. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015;18(6):552-8. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0000000000000221.

4. Flannery JE, Stagaman K, Burns AR, Hickey RJ, Roos LE, Giuliano RJ, et al. Gut feelings begin in childhood: The gut metagenome correlates with early environment, caregiving, and behaviour. mBio. 2020;11(1):e02780-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02780-19.

5. Christian LM, Galley  JD, Hade EM, Schoppe-Sullivan  S, Dush CK, Bailey MT. Gut microbiome composition is associated with temperament in early childhood. Brain Behav Immun. 2015;45:118-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2014.10.018.

6. Yang I, Corwin EJ, Brennan PA, Jordan S, Murphy JR, Dunlop A. The infant microbiome: Implications for infant health and neurocognitive development. Nurs Res. 2016;65(1):76-88. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000133.

7. Codagnone MG, Stanton C, O’Mahony SM, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. Microbiota and neurodevelopmental trajectories: Role of maternal and early-life nutrition. Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(suppl 2):16–27. https://doi.org/10.1159/000499144.