Gut bugs avert asthma

The lower gut is home to more than 30,000 bacterial strains. The initial colonisation of an infant’s gut, especially over the first 24 to 36 months of life, can leave traces that last for years, decades and even a lifetime.¹ For example, researchers recently reported that acquiring four types of bacteria in the gut by three months of age is associated with a reduced risk of developing asthma in later life.²

Researchers in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study-examined faecal samples from 319 children. Infants at high-risk of asthma based on skin prick testing, clinical wheezing and the Asthma Predictive Index showed a significant decrease in the relative abundance of four types of bacteria during the first 100 days of life (Lachnospira, Veillonella, Faecalibacterium and Rothia), compared to children considered to be at low risk.