Gut microbiota in protect infants may prevent asthma

The bacteria in the infant intestinal, microbiota, and the short chain fatty acids they produce may affect the child’s risk of developing asthma at a later age, said a recently published study report. Researchers from The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the University of Eastern Finland were centrally involved in the study.

The researchers found that especially vaginal delivery and breastfeeding supported the development of asthma protection associated with gut microbiota at the age of two months, said the THL in a press release on Tuesday.

In contrast, birth by Caesarean section and mother’s smoking during pregnancy disturbed the development of the protective features.

At the age of one year, the subsequent risk of asthma was reduced by the maturity of the gut microbiota linked with high abundance of bacteria producing certain short-chain fatty acids.

According to earlier experimental studies, the short-chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria may support mechanisms regulating inflammation in the lungs, which could explain the link between the microbes producing them and the lower risk of asthma.

Particularly growing up on a farm, diversification of the diet and termination of breastfeeding supported the development of asthma protection-associated microbial composition in one-year-olds.

“The protective effect of growing up on a farm has been known for a long time and our previous studies have indicated that this protective effect is linked to the child’s exposure to certain kinds of microbes. This study showed that a small part of the protective effect of farms may be explained by factors that promote the maturation of the gut microbiota,” said THL Senior Researcher Pirkka Kirjavainen.

The composition of the gut microbiota changes dramatically during the first year of life, which may also influence the child’s immunological development.

The article ‘Maturation of the gut microbiome during the first year of life contributes to the protective farm effect on childhood asthma’ written by the international research group was published in the distinguished science publication Nature Medicine on 2 November.

The composition of the gut microbiome of 600 European children was examined for the study.