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The Early Appearance of Asthma and Its Relationship with Gut Microbiota: A Narrative Review
Clara Suárez-Martínez1,2, Marina Santaella-Pascual1,2, Genoveva Yagüe-Guirao1,3
1Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30120 Murcia, Spain.
Insights
Early life gut microbiota influences asthma risk. Factors like maternal diet, delivery mode, antibiotics, and infant feeding during the first 100 days shape this critical window, impacting future lung health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric immunology
- Microbiome research
- Respiratory health
Background:
- Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory disease with increasing pediatric incidence.
- The gut-lung axis highlights the gut microbiota's role in modulating lung immunity.
- Early life intestinal colonization is critical for immune development, with dysbiosis increasing hypersensitivity disease risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on factors influencing infant gut microbiota composition.
- To examine how these factors impact the risk of developing asthma later in life.
- To identify key modulators within the 'critical window' of early life.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of published literature.
- Analysis of factors affecting infant gut microbiota.
- Correlation of microbiota profiles with asthma risk.
Main Results:
- Diet during pregnancy, maternal Mediterranean diet adherence, delivery mode, antibiotic exposure, and infant feeding practices significantly alter infant gut microbiota.
- These modifications during the first 100 days (critical window) are associated with altered asthma risk.
- Specific microbial profiles are linked to increased or decreased likelihood of developing asthma.
Conclusions:
- Modulating the infant gut microbiota during the critical window is a potential strategy for asthma prevention.
- Understanding the impact of environmental and lifestyle factors is crucial for early intervention.
- Further research into the gut-lung axis mechanisms can inform public health strategies for reducing asthma prevalence.
Abstract:
Asthma is, worldwide, the most frequent non-communicable disease affecting both children and adults, with high morbidity and relatively low mortality, compared to other chronic diseases. In recent decades, the prevalence of asthma has increased in the pediatric population, and, in general, the risk of developing asthma and asthma-like symptoms is higher in children during the first years of life. The "gut-lung axis" concept explains how the gut microbiota influences lung immune function, acting both directly, by stimulating the innate immune system, and indirectly, through the metabolites it generates. Thus, the process of intestinal microbial colonization of the newborn is crucial for his/her future health, and the alterations that might generate dysbiosis during the first 100 days of life are most influential in promoting hypersensitivity diseases. That is why this period is termed the "critical window". This paper reviews the published evidence on the numerous factors that can act by modifying the profile of the intestinal microbiota of the infant, thereby promoting or inhibiting the risk of asthma later in life. The following factors are specifically addressed in depth here: diet during pregnancy, maternal adherence to a Mediterranean diet, mode of delivery, exposure to antibiotics, and type of infant feeding during the first three months of life.
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