Scientists are beginning to learn more about how gut microbes are associated with children’s health and various aspects of their development. Two new studies have found associations between changes in gut bacteria and child health; one found a link gut bacteria snd migraines, while another found a connection between gut bacteria and asthma and allergies.
Reporting in Gut Microbes, scientists showed that children who get migraine headaches also tended to carry lower levels of some gut microbes that are thought to be beneficial. Some of these gut microbes have previously been associated with a healthy balance in the gut microbiome, and others with the regulation of inflammation.
When an animal model was exposed to certain species of beneficial gut microbes, neural activity that is linked to migraine pain was reduced.
The study also showed that kids who have migraines benefited from probiotics; they experienced a reduction in headache intensity, and fewer headaches.
"We were struck by how closely migraine severity in children was linked to changes in gut health," said first study author Pi-Chuan Fan, an Associate Professor at National Taiwan University. "Children with digestive symptoms tended to experience more disabling headaches, suggesting that migraine is not just a brain condition, but one that involves the whole body."
"Our findings suggest that supporting gut health could become part of a more holistic, child-friendly approach to migraine care, especially for children who also suffer from digestive problems," added corresponding study author Professor Huey-Ling Chen.
An unrelated study that was reported in Nature Microbiology showed that when children were colonized with certain species of gut microbes bifidobacteria early on in life, they were less likely to develop allergies. These species of microbes produce a metabolite that reduces the immune responses to allergens.
In this study, the researchers studied 147 children from birth to age five, determining that it was beneficial for children to carry higher levels of specific bifidobacteria in the gut. These bacteria produce metabolites like 4-hydroxyphenyl lactate (4-OH-PLA) that can help control an overactive response to allergens.
Using human immune cells growing in culture, the researchers showed that 4-OH-PLA reduced the output of an antibody known as immunoglobulin E (IgE), which is directly related to allergic reactions. Allergens can trigger the production of IgEs, which may trigger symptoms of allergy.
But 4-OH-PLA seems to reduce IgE antibody production by about 60%.
"It is remarkable that children born vaginally were 14 times more likely to acquire the bifidobacteria from their mothers. In addition, exclusive breastfeeding and contact with other young children during early life also contributed to an increased abundance of these bifidobacteria in the gut. This means that natural mechanisms help to prevent the development of these diseases," said Rasmus Kaae Dehli, specialist in systems immunology at the Technical University of Denmark.
"However, our lifestyle has contributed to these bifidobacteria becoming much rarer, and it is therefore also important to look at other preventive measures that can help infants who are not colonized with them.”
Sources: Gut Microbes, Technical University of Denmark, Nature Microbiology