Your Child's Diet Could Be Setting Them Up for GI Problems

By Editorial Staff

Failure in terms of struggling with microbiome issues, suggests research. The gut microbiome contains millions upon millions of microbes (bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, etc.) that are actually essential to good health in the proper balance. If that microbiome balance is disrupted – which oftentimes occurs due to poor eating habits, not to mention antibiotic overuse – major health problems can ensure.

Which brings us to the title of this article, and how what your child eats when they're young can set the stage for GI microbiome health - or health problems. According to research, poor eating habits (particularly excess intake of fat and sugar) as a child may alter their microbiome for life, setting the stage for disease. The study in question utilized a mouse model to examine the potential connection between diet and microbiome viability. Mice who were fed a less healthy "Western diet" (in humans,the equivalent Western diet is characterized by high amounts of carbohydrates, sugar and fat, often in the form of processed snacks and foods, fast food, etc.) had significantly reduced levels of healthy GI bacteria compared to mice fed a healthier diet.

Writing about their findings in the Journal of Experimental Biology, the researchers emphasize the importance of starting children off right in terms of their dietary habits: "These results constitute one of the first reports of juvenile diet having long-lasting effects on the adult microbiome after a substantial washout period."

So, think your child's diet doesn't really matter because they're normal weight and don't seem to have any health issues? Think again. You may not see the problems yet, but below the surface, it the gut microbiome, trouble is brewing.