For years, scientists are looking for the reason behind the different gut influences on each person because it plays a role in our overall health and it determines whether or not we get sick easily. A study published in the journal Nature finally answered their question and it turns out, it has everything to do with how we were born.
How babies born through c-section are different
A study showed that babies who are born through cesarean section have more bacteria in their gut than those who babies who were delivered normally. A group of scientists from University College London, Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Birmingham conducted the study and they analyzed the gut microbiota DNA from 596 newborn babies in the UK and they concluded that the babies that were delivered through c-section had different gut microbes that those babies who were born through normal delivery.
A molecular biologist at UCL, Nigel Field, said that they designed the study to allow them to know how babies are colonized with microbes as soon as they are born. The scientists think that can be a really important moment in life because babies are sterile when they are inside the womb and as soon as they are born, their immune system has a massive number of bacteria that it is presented with, and that sets their immune system in the future.
The study also showed that babies who were born through c-section picked up more harmful pathogens in the hospital and that could expose them to infections in the future.
Importance of gut microbiome
Viruses, fungi, bacteria and other microscopic living things are called microorganisms or microbes. Our body is full of trillions of viruses, fungi, and bacteria and they are all known as the microbiome. While some bacteria in our body are linked to diseases, there are others that are actually very important for our immune system, weight, heart and other aspects of our overall health.
Without any gut microbiome, it will be almost impossible to survive. The study showed that gut microbiome affects us as soon as we are born and as soon as we grow older, it diversifies and it starts to contain different types of microbial species. In fact, the higher our microbiome diversity is, the better it is for our health.
How microbiome affects our body
The microbiome inside a baby's body grows too, it helps with digesting breastmilk, digesting fiber, controlling the immune system and it can help control brain health. Gut microbiome is also responsible for our weight gain. There are thousands of different types of bacteria in our intestines but having too many unhealthy microbes can lead to different diseases. If there is an imbalance of unhealthy and healthy microbes, it may contribute to weight gain, this is called gut dysbiosis.
Microbiome in our gut can also affect our intestines and intestinal diseases like IBD or inflammatory bowel disease and IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. The cramps, abdominal pain and bloating that is experienced with IBS are because of gut dysbiosis. This is because the microbes produce a lot of chemicals and gas, which then contributes to the symptoms of intestinal diseases.
To improve gut microbiome, children should be trained to eat diverse foods like beans, fruits, legumes and foods that are rich in fiber. The intake of artificial sweeteners should also be limited and you should breastfeed your baby for at least the first six months after their birth.
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