The association of gut microbiota characteristics in Malawian infants with growth and inflammation

Kamng’ona, Arox W; Young, Rebecca; Kortekangas, Emma; Patson, Noel; Jorgensen, Josh M; Prado, Elizabeth L.; Chaima, David; Malamba, Chikondi; Fan, Yue‐Mei; Cheung, Yin Bun; Ashorn, Per; Maleta, Kenneth; Dewey, Kathryn G.

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-49274-y

Cited by 31 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The prevalence of bifidobacteria is much higher in lower-income regions of the Southern Hemisphere compared with high-income countries of the Northern Hemisphere ( 21–23 ). In our study population, bifidobacteria comprise the largest proportion of microbes in the first year of life ( 40 ) and are associated with infant growth ( 41 ). Both 2′FL and LNnT have been shown to enhance the growth of beneficial bifidobacteria ( 32 , 42 , 43 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of human milk oligosaccharides and bioactive proteins with infant growth and development among Malawian mother-infant dyads

Jorgensen

Young

Ashorn

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Background Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and bioactive breast milk proteins have many beneficial properties. Information is sparse regarding associations between these milk constituents and infant growth and development in lower-income countries. Objectives We aimed to examine associations of milk content of HMOs and bioactive proteins at 6 mo postpartum with infant growth and motor and cognitive development. These are secondary analyses of a randomized controlled trial in rural Malawi. Methods Breast milk samples were analyzed at 6 mo (n = 659) for general categories of HMOs (total HMOs, fucosylated HMOs, and sialylated HMOs), 51 individual HMOs, and 6 bioactive proteins (lactalbumin, lactoferrin, lysozyme, antitrypsin, IgA, and osteopontin). We examined associations of the relative abundances of HMOs and concentrations of bioactive proteins with infant growth from 6 to 12 mo [change in length-for-age (ΔLAZ), weight-for-age, weight-for-length, and head circumference z-scores] as well as ability to stand or walk alone at 12 mo, and motor and language skills, socioemotional development, executive function, and working memory at 18 mo. Analyses were adjusted for covariates and multiple hypothesis testing. Results Among all participants, there were inverse associations of IgA and lactoferrin concentrations with motor skills (P = 0.018 and P = 0.044), and a positive association of lactalbumin concentration with motor skills (P = 0.038). Among secretors only [fucosyltransferase 2 gene (FUT2) positive], there were positive associations of absolute abundance of HMOs with ΔLAZ (P = 0.035), and relative abundance of fucosylated and sialylated HMOs with language at 18 mo (P < 0.001 and P = 0.033, respectively), and inverse associations of osteopontin with standing and walking at 12 mo (P = 0.007 and 0.002, respectively). Relative abundances of several individual HMOs were associated with growth and development, mostly among secretors. Conclusions Certain bioactive breast milk proteins and HMOs are associated with infant growth and motor and cognitive development. Further studies are needed to determine if a causal relation exists. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01239693.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of human milk oligosaccharides and bioactive proteins with infant growth and development among Malawian mother-infant dyads

Jorgensen

Young

Ashorn

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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“…Earlier studies in undernourished infants and their microbiota have found lower microbial diversity with stunting (71), underweight and wasting (57), or severe acute malnutrition (30). Other studies have found no differences in diversity in mice which received microbiota from either severely stunted or nonstunted infants after 30 days postcolonization (72), or in Malawian infant weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ) between 12 and 18 months of age (73). A potential explanation for our results is our small sample size, or some unmeasured environmental factor(s) may have influenced the association between WLZ and the gut microbiota in this cross-sectional analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition and the Gut Microbiota in 10- to 18-Month-Old Children Living in Urban Slums of Mumbai, India

Huey

Jiang

Fedarko

et al. 2020

mSphere

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In this cross-sectional study, we describe the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota among undernourished children living in urban slums of Mumbai, India, and determine how nutritional status, including anthropometric measurements, dietary intakes from complementary foods, feeding practices, and micronutrient concentrations, is associated with their gut microbiota. We collected rectal swabs from children aged 10 to 18 months living in urban slums of Mumbai participating in a randomized controlled feeding trial and conducted 16S rRNA sequencing to determine the composition of the gut microbiota. Across the study cohort, Proteobacteria dominated the gut microbiota at over 80% relative abundance, with Actinobacteria representation at <4%, suggesting immaturity of the gut. Increased microbial α-diversity was associated with current breastfeeding, greater head circumference, higher fat intake, and lower hemoglobin concentration and weight-for-length Z-score. In redundancy analyses, 47% of the variation in Faith’s phylogenetic diversity (Faith’s PD) could be accounted for by age and by iron and polyunsaturated fatty acid intakes. Differences in community structure (β-diversity) of the microbiota were observed among those consuming fats and oils the previous day compared to those not consuming fats and oils the previous day. Our findings suggest that growth, diet, and feeding practices are associated with gut microbiota metrics in undernourished children, whose gut microbiota were comprised mainly of Proteobacteria, a phylum containing many potentially pathogenic taxa. IMPORTANCE The impact of comprehensive nutritional status, defined as growth, nutritional blood biomarkers, dietary intakes, and feeding practices, on the gut microbiome in children living in low-resource settings has remained underreported in microbiome research. Among undernourished children living in urban slums of Mumbai, India, we observed a high relative abundance of Proteobacteria, a phylum including many potentially pathogenic species similar to the composition in preterm infants, suggesting immaturity of the gut, or potentially a high inflammatory burden. We found head circumference, fat and iron intake, and current breastfeeding were positively associated with microbial diversity, while hemoglobin and weight for length were associated with lower diversity. Findings suggest that examining comprehensive nutrition is critical to gain more understanding of how nutrition and the gut microbiota are linked, particularly in vulnerable populations such as children in urban slum settings.

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“…All stool sample collection and sequencing occurred prior to the current data analysis. Sample collection and sequencing was performed as previously described 61 . Briefly, infant stool samples were collected at 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months of age.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the two control groups, women received iron and folic acid (IFA) during pregnancy only or multiple micronutrients (MMN) during pregnancy and the first six months postpartum, but their infants did not receive any supplement. The effects of the intervention on infant growth 20 , characteristics of the child’s gut microbiome 59 , and maternal breast milk composition 60 have been published previously, as well as analyses that relate aspects of gut microbiome composition to infant growth and inflammation 61 , morbidity 62 , and environmental factors 63 . This analysis examines whether variability in infant gut microbiota composition, such as the ratios of taxa described above, may contribute to variability in response to the intervention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infant gut microbiota characteristics generally do not modify effects of lipid-based nutrient supplementation on growth or inflammation: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in Malawi

Hughes

Young

Ashorn

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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An unhealthy gut microbial community may act as a barrier to improvement in growth and health outcomes in response to nutritional interventions. The objective of this analysis was to determine whether the infant microbiota modified the effects of a randomized controlled trial of lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) in Malawi on growth and inflammation at 12 and 18 months, respectively. We characterized baseline microbiota composition of fecal samples at 6 months of age (n = 506, prior to infant supplementation, which extended to 18 months) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the V4 region. Features of the gut microbiota previously identified as being involved in fatty acid or micronutrient metabolism or in outcomes relating to growth and inflammation, especially in children, were investigated. Prior to correction for multiple hypothesis testing, the effects of LNS on growth appeared to be modified by Clostridium (p-for-interaction = 0.02), Ruminococcus (p-for-interaction = 0.007), and Firmicutes (p-for-interaction = 0.04) and effects on inflammation appeared to be modified by Faecalibacterium (p-for-interaction = 0.03) and Streptococcus (p-for-interaction = 0.004). However, after correction for multiple hypothesis testing these findings were not statistically significant, suggesting that the gut microbiota did not alter the effect of LNS on infant growth and inflammation in this cohort.

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The association of gut microbiota characteristics in Malawian infants with growth and inflammation

Cited by 31 publications

References 46 publications

Associations of human milk oligosaccharides and bioactive proteins with infant growth and development among Malawian mother-infant dyads

Associations of human milk oligosaccharides and bioactive proteins with infant growth and development among Malawian mother-infant dyads

Nutrition and the Gut Microbiota in 10- to 18-Month-Old Children Living in Urban Slums of Mumbai, India

Infant gut microbiota characteristics generally do not modify effects of lipid-based nutrient supplementation on growth or inflammation: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in Malawi

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