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Early-life gut microbiome-metabolome development trajectories in Chinese infants: a decentralized real-world evidence

Wanying Zhong1, Zhigang Zhu2, Zhe Zeng2

  • 1The Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. sitang@126.com.

Food & Function
|July 2, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Infant feeding mode significantly impacts gut microbiome development in Chinese children. Breastfeeding and prebiotic formula showed dynamic changes in dominant bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides over time.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • The neonatal gut microbiome is crucial for infant health and nutrition.
  • Environmental factors like feeding and birth mode shape microbiome maturation.
  • Understanding these influences is key for optimizing infant development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related gut microbiome and metabolomic development in Chinese infants and toddlers.
  • To specifically examine the impact of feeding mode (breastfeeding vs. prebiotic formula) on these trajectories.
  • To identify associations between microbiome composition, function, and host metabolism.

Main Methods:

  • A clinical study of 445 infants and toddlers (0-24 months) across six diverse Chinese regions.
  • Longitudinal fecal sample analysis using shotgun metagenomics and metabolomics.
  • Comparison between a breastfed group and a formula-fed group receiving scGOS/lcFOS.

Main Results:

  • Feeding mode, birth mode, and location strongly influenced gut microbiome structure and function.
  • Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides were dominant taxa with dynamic abundance changes.
  • Increased Bifidobacterium correlated with specific metabolic gene functions (Bifid shunt, starch/fatty acid metabolism).
  • Metabolomic profiles for amino acids and bile acids were similar between feeding groups.

Conclusions:

  • Feeding mode is a significant determinant of the developing gut microbiome in Chinese children.
  • The study provides insights into age-dependent gut microbiome and metabolomic trajectories.
  • Prebiotic formula may support comparable metabolic profiles to breastfeeding in early development.

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