Depiction of the presence or absence of carbohydrate utilization pathways in Prevotella MAGs from the current study. Credit: Scientific translational medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adn2366
A team of biologists, nutritionists and gut biome specialists discovered, through a trial conducted in several hospitals in Bangladesh, that giving severely malnourished children a microbiome-based food helps them recover faster than their normal counterparts. give ready-to-use therapeutic or complementary foods (RUF).
For many years, the standard of care for children with severe acute malnutrition has been to give them RUF, which is usually prepared by mixing peanuts, oil, butter and sugar in a quantity of powdered milk . Such a mixture quickly provides a lot of calories, helping hungry children recover as quickly as possible.
In this new study, published in Scientific translational medicineresearchers found that another type of food might be a better option.
Several years ago, researchers discovered that when children suffer from a severe lack of food, in addition to losing weight and being able to prevent disease, their gut biome becomes less diverse: without food to process , gut bacteria levels decrease. Experiments with mice showed that those who were malnourished and given foods designed to speed up the biome gained weight more quickly than those who only ate a high-calorie diet.
The researchers wanted to know if the same was true for humans. To find out, they first conducted animal experiments to find the right ingredients that would boost the gut biome, then crafted a supplement with the best of them. They then administered the supplement they developed to 64 severely malnourished children in several hospitals in Bangladesh.
Another 64 children also suffering from severe malnutrition received RUF. All children in the study were assessed over the next three months. The research team found that children given biome-enhancing supplements gained weight faster than children given RUF.
They also found that children receiving the new supplements had higher concentrations in their blood of the types of proteins needed for healthy growth of bones, muscles and nerve cells in the brain.
The researchers conclude by suggesting that giving malnourished children biome-enhancing foods may not only speed recovery time but also prevent stunted growth.
More information:
Steven J. Hartman et al, A microbiome-driven therapeutic food for children recovering from severe acute malnutrition, Scientific translational medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adn2366
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