Importance of gut health in early life

By - Danone Nutricia Academy

Among all the microbes that may be found in humans, the gut microbiota is the most numerous, diverse, and well-studied. ¹

The three main functions of the gut microbiota, are protective, metabolic, and trophic. The colonisation of the gut by microbes starts at birth and lasts until age three. ¹

Factors that have an impact on infant gut microbiome

Infant microbiota is altered throughout the first three years of life by the gut-brain axis, maternal and neonatal exposures, including antibiotic exposure, delivery method, and feeding habits. ¹

An imbalance between commensal and pathogenic organisms in the gut environment, known as gut dysbiosis, can be harmful to health and increase vulnerability to immunological-related pathogenic states as well as other unfavourable metabolic and immune outcomes.

Gut microbiota influences immunity and helps to avoid disease in the early stages of development, but these interactions can also be pathogenic and result in illness. ² Understanding the mechanisms by which the gut microbiota interacts with immune regulation, the endocrine system, and metabolism may aid in the development of strategies to direct the health-promoting microbiota that may be maintained throughout the lifespan.¹

References:

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 Jan-Feb;65(1):76-88. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000133. PMID: 26657483; PMCID: PMC4681407.
Al-Judaibi AA. Microbiota and their Influence in the Human Body. J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2021;15(1):42-52. doi:10.22207/ JPAM.15.1.27

For the use of Healthcare Professionals only. Not for distribution the general public.

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