Linear growth faltering in infants is associated with Acidaminococcus sp. and community-level changes in the gut microbiota.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chronic malnutrition, termed stunting, is defined as suboptimal linear growth, affects one third of children in developing countries, and leads to increased mortality and poor developmental outcomes. The causes of childhood stunting are unknown, and strategies to improve growth and related outcomes in children have only had modest impacts. Recent studies have shown that the ecosystem of microbes in the human gut, termed the microbiota, can induce changes in weight. However, the specific changes in the gut microbiota that contribute to growth remain unknown, and no studies have investigated the gut microbiota as a determinant of chronic malnutrition.

Results

We performed secondary analyses of data from two well-characterized twin cohorts of children from Malawi and

SUBMITTER: Gough EK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4477476 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature