Microbiome-Boosting Foods Could Treat Severe Malnutrition

Researchers have discovered that promoting the health of the gut microbiome is nearly as crucial as supplementing missing calories and vitamins to counteract the detrimental effects of childhood malnutrition. Over the past decade, several studies have indicated that nurturing beneficial gut bacteria in children by supplementing specific nutrients can help them gain weight and reverse stunted growth caused by nutritional deficiencies.

A new study conducted in Bangladesh by the University of Washington in the United States and the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, confirms the effectiveness of these "microbiome-directed" supplements and further demonstrates that they are beneficial not only for moderately malnourished children but also for severely malnourished children. The research also provides new insights into understanding the mechanisms of treatment, with the findings published in Science Translational Medicine.

Researchers suggest that if this approach is validated, it could "bring health benefits to millions of malnourished children worldwide."

This study is the first to focus specifically on severely malnourished children. The research team assessed 124 children aged 12 to 18 months who were being treated and supplied with nutrition in urban and rural hospitals in Bangladesh until their condition improved from severe malnutrition to moderate malnutrition. Subsequently, half of the children received three months of traditional ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), while the other half received microbiome-directed food supplements. The results showed that the latter group experienced faster weight gain and had higher levels of certain proteins in their blood that promote the development of bones, muscles, and the brain.