Lab Chat: A microbiome-based fix for malnutrition

Nearly half of all deaths worldwide in children under the age of 5 is from malnutrition, but current methods for addressing the nutrition gap can be expensive and hard to implement. In a new study, scientists describe how a diet based on chickpeas, soy flour, bananas, and peanuts promoted certain microbial species in the gut of malnourished children in Bangladesh more than standard therapy. I spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Gordon, a microbiome researcher at the Washington University in St. Louis and senior author of the new study, to learn more. 

How did you find the foods included in the diet you tested? 

We turned to the foods that are normally consumed by children in this area. People in the lab then screened these complementary food ingredients … and found combinations that boosted the growth of the [microbial] community. 

And what’s the takeaway here? 

[It shows] how important healthy development of the gut community might be for healthy growth. The capacity to be good stewards of the healthy development of an infant's or child's microbial community could have very long-term effects on their biology, their health status, and even disease risk. 

Read more here.