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Published on: January 27, 2019
Proof of principle study replicating microbial clusters in connection to birth mode and diet in the early life
Patrick Schimmel1, Lennart Kleinjans1, Carl Vael2
1Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Early infant diet significantly shapes the gut microbiota. Breast milk or formula feeding influences bacterial composition, with formula leading to faster gut maturation in children up to six years old.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Human Gut Microbiome Research
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- The human gut microbiota begins developing at birth and is influenced by early life factors.
- Understanding infant gut microbiota development is crucial for long-term health.
- Dietary interventions are key modulators of the gut ecosystem.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the different phases of gut microbiota development in a Belgian infant cohort.
- To investigate the impact of diet and birth mode on infant gut microbiota composition.
- To determine how early-life feeding influences microbiota maturation until age six.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 64 children from birth to 6 years.
- Analysis of fecal samples at multiple time points: 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 6 years.
- 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and analysis of dietary metadata.
Main Results:
- Human milk feeding promoted a Bacteroides-dominated microbiota, while formula feeding resulted in Bifidobacterium dominance.
- Formula-fed infants exhibited earlier maturation of their gut microbiota.
- Distinct microbiota clusters emerged in later life stages, linked to bacterial group dynamics.
- Birth mode and other clinical variables did not significantly impact observed microbiota patterns.
Conclusions:
- Diet is a primary driver of early-life gut microbiota development.
- Formula feeding accelerates infant gut microbiota maturation compared to human milk.
- These findings reinforce the critical role of nutrition in establishing a healthy gut ecosystem from infancy.
Abstract:
The human gut ecosystem starts developing at birth and is influenced by many factors during early life. In this study we make use of a Belgian cohort of 64 children, followed until the age of 6 years, to analyze different phases of microbiota development. We analyzed fecal samples taken before weaning (age 1 month), shortly after weaning (age 6 months), when milk feeding has been discontinued completely (age 1 year), and at the age of 6 years. We performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing on the collected fecal samples and analyzed the compositional data in relation to dietary metadata and birth mode. Human and formula milk feeding promotes a microbiota dominated by either Bacteroides or Bifidobacterium, respectively. Into later life stages, the microbiota composition follows distinct microbiota clusters, related to abundance dynamics of certain bacterial groups. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that a formula diet leads to early maturation of the infant gut microbiota. Despite other clinical variables within the infant cohort, they did not significantly contribute to the microbiota patterns we observed. Our data provide a proof of principle study of the importance of diet to the development of the microbiota in early life that replicates earlier findings in other cohorts.
