This gut bacteria can reveal if your child will be obese or not

Gut health plays an extremely crucial role in your overall health and well-being. Now, a new study has revealed that the gut bacteria of toddlers can predict if they will be overweight in their adult life.

The study, led by Gaël Toubon from the Université Sorbonne Paris, analysed the data from 512 infants who were part of a study that studied the lives of 18,000 children born in France.

The researchers observed the Body Mass Index (BMI) of participants between the ages of two and five. During the study, the researchers examined the stool samples of the participants were collected at three and a half years of age, and found a positive association between BMI score at five years old and the ratio of two types of gut bacteria (Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes) directly related to obesity.

According to scientists, the more Bacteroidetes an individual has, the less likely they are to be obese. Studies suggest that each person has about 200 different species of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in their digestive tract.

The increased abundance of Eubacterium hallii group, Fusicatenibacter, and Eubacterium ventriosum group was identified as a risk factor for a higher BMI score. The findings of the study were presented at the European Congress of Obesity.

The study also identified differences in the bacteria that colonise the gut in adults living with obesity. This suggests that changes in the gut microbiota that predispose to adult obesity begin in early childhood.

Earlier studies had revealed that the bacteria in human guts differ in lean and obese people.