Child Weight Gain Trajectories Linked To Oral Microbiota Composition

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Pediatrics
• Genetics

Background:

• Microbiota alterations are linked to obesity in adults and adolescents.
• The role of gut and oral microbiota in early childhood weight gain is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between gut and oral microbiota composition and growth patterns in two-year-old children.
• To identify microbial signatures related to rapid infant weight gain, a precursor to childhood obesity.

Main Methods:

• 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the gut and oral microbiota of 226 two-year-olds.
• Child growth was tracked over seven time points, with growth curves derived using Functional Data Analysis (FDA).
• Dietary intake was controlled for in the analysis of gut microbiota associations.

Main Results:

• Oral microbiota diversity was negatively associated with growth curves, while the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio was positively associated.
• Gut microbiota showed associations with child growth, independent of diet.
• Specific bacterial genera were identified as correlates of distinct child growth patterns.

Conclusions:

• Oral microbiota patterns associated with rapid infant weight gain may emerge by age two, mirroring those seen in obese adults.
• Gut microbiota at age two, though diet-influenced, did not exhibit the obesity-related signatures observed in later life stages.