Gut microbiota wellbeing index predicts overall health in a cohort of 1000 infants

Brandon Hickman (), Anne Salonen, Alise J. Ponsero, Roosa Jokela, Kaija-Leena Kolho, Willem M. Vos and Katri Korpela ()
Additional contact information
Brandon Hickman: University of Helsinki
Anne Salonen: University of Helsinki
Alise J. Ponsero: University of Helsinki
Roosa Jokela: University of Helsinki
Kaija-Leena Kolho: University of Helsinki
Willem M. Vos: University of Helsinki
Katri Korpela: University of Helsinki

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract The human gut microbiota is central in regulating all facets of host physiology, and in early life it is thought to influence the host’s immune system and metabolism, affecting long-term health. However, longitudinally monitored cohorts with parallel analysis of faecal samples and health data are scarce. In our observational study we describe the gut microbiota development in the first 2 years of life and create a gut microbiota wellbeing index based on the microbiota development and health data in a cohort of nearly 1000 infants using clustering and trajectory modelling. We show that infants’ gut microbiota development is highly predictable, following one of five trajectories, dependent on infant exposures, and predictive of later health outcomes. We characterise the natural healthy gut microbiota trajectory and several different dysbiotic trajectories associated with different health outcomes. Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides appear as early keystone organisms, directing microbiota development and consistently predicting positive health outcomes. A microbiota wellbeing index, based on the healthy development trajectory, is predictive of general health over the first 5 years. The results indicate that gut microbiota succession is part of infant physiological development, predictable, and malleable. This information can be utilised to improve the predictions of individual health risks.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52561-6 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52561-6

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52561-6

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().