Translational Medicine Program, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Int J Obes (Lond). 2022 Jul;46(7):1351-1358. doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01117-z. Epub 2022 Apr 15.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The steep rise in childhood obesity has emerged as a worldwide public health problem. The first 4 years of life are a critical window where long-term developmental patterns of body mass index (BMI) are established and a critical period for microbiota maturation. Understanding how the early-life microbiota relate to preschool growth may be useful for identifying preventive interventions for childhood obesity. We aim to investigate whether longitudinal shifts within the bacterial community between 3 months and 1 year of life are associated with preschool BMI z-score trajectories.
BMI trajectories from birth to 5 years of age were identified using group-based trajectory modeling in 3059 children. Their association with familial and environmental factors were analyzed. Infant gut microbiota at 3 months and 1 year was defined by 16S RNA sequencing and changes in diversity and composition within each BMIz trajectory were analyzed.
Four BMIz trajectories were identified: low stable, normative, high stable, and rapid growth. Infants in the rapid growth trajectory were less likely to have been breastfed, and gained less microbiota diversity in the first year of life. Relative abundance of Akkermansia increased with age in children with stable growth, but decreased in those with rapid growth, abundance of Ruminococcus and Clostridium at 1 year were elevated in children with rapid growth. Children who were breastfed at 6 months had increased levels of Sutterella, and decreased levels of Ruminococcus and Clostridium.
This study provides new insights into the relationship between the gut microbiota in infancy and patterns of growth in a cohort of preschool Canadian children. We highlight that rapid growth since birth is associated with bacteria shown in animal models to have a causative role in weight gain. Our findings support a novel avenue of research targeted on tangible interventions to reduce childhood obesity.
背景/目的：儿童肥胖率的急剧上升已成为全球公共卫生问题。生命的头四年是建立长期身体质量指数（BMI）发育模式的关键时期，也是微生物组成熟的关键时期。了解生命早期微生物组与学龄前儿童生长的关系，可能有助于确定预防儿童肥胖的干预措施。我们旨在研究生命 1 年内肠道细菌群落的纵向变化是否与学龄前 BMIz 轨迹有关。
通过基于群组的轨迹建模，在 3059 名儿童中确定了从出生到 5 岁的 BMI 轨迹。分析了它们与家族和环境因素的关系。婴儿 3 个月和 1 岁时的肠道微生物组通过 16S RNA 测序确定，分析了每个 BMIz 轨迹内多样性和组成的变化。
确定了 4 种 BMIz 轨迹：低稳定、正常、高稳定和快速增长。快速增长轨迹中的婴儿母乳喂养的可能性较小，并且在生命的第一年中获得的微生物多样性较少。在稳定生长的儿童中，阿克曼氏菌的相对丰度随着年龄的增长而增加，但在快速生长的儿童中却减少了，快速生长的儿童在 1 岁时瘤胃球菌和梭菌的丰度升高。6 个月时母乳喂养的儿童的 Sutterella 水平升高，而瘤胃球菌和梭菌的水平降低。
本研究提供了新的见解，即婴儿肠道微生物群与加拿大学龄前儿童生长模式之间的关系。我们强调，自出生以来的快速增长与动物模型中被认为与体重增加有因果关系的细菌有关。我们的研究结果支持了一种新的研究途径，即针对减少儿童肥胖的切实可行的干预措施。
