Recent study has shown that our gut microbiome is still being shaped throughout toddlerhood. The plasticity of the toddler gut microbiota indicates that nutritional modulation beyond infancy could potentially impact its maturation.
Partnering with researchers from Thailand’s hospitals and Wageningen University, Nutricia Research sought to investigate the effect of a young child formula (YCF) supplemented with prebiotics scGOS/lcFOS and probiotics Bifidobacterium breve M-16V on the development of the faecal microbiota in healthy young children aged 1 to 3 years.
This study, which was conducted in Thailand (also known as the “Land of Smiles”), demonstrated that the young child formula (YCF) supplemented with scGOS/lcFOS and B.breve M-16V positively influences the development of the faecal microbiota in healthy toddlers by supporting higher levels of Bifidobacterium.
“In this study, we demonstrated that a young child formula supplemented with scGOS/lcFOS (ratio 9:1) and Bifidobacterium breve M-16V increased the proportion of Bifidobacterium in healthy young children. This remarkable modulation of the Bifidobacterium was achieved even though prior to enrolment in the study, 65-70% of the study population were exposed to the consumption of prebiotics/ probiotics,” said Dr. Pensri Kosuwon, from Pediatrics Department of Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
“This bifidogenic effect on the developing gut microbiota may have its relevance especially during early childhood,” she added.
The synbiotic supplementation is also accompanied with a lower faecal pH, creating or maintaining an acidic intestinal milieu, which in turn may protect against the growth of opportunistic pathogens.
In addition, the study observed more children with soft pudding like stool consistency in the synbiotic group suggesting that a supplementation with scGOS/lcFOS (ratio 9:1) and Bifidobacterium breve M-16V might improve stool consistency.
The concept of microbial resilience during development has been recently proposed to have a key role in health and disease. Bifidobacterium has been depicted as an important childhood, pre-adolescent and adolescent host microbial partner and most likely have an influential role in supporting the healthy development of the host.
The putative contribution of Bifidobacterium in shaping a resilient microbiota during development deserves further investigation.
Download the study summary and key results.
The full article can be accessed here.