A mammal’s first microbes are set by its earliest days:
- Mode of delivery—cesarean section or vaginal birth
- Breast fed or bottle
Metabolism and obesity are impacted by its unique microbiota. Researchers asked whether a high-fat maternal diet would change the offspring’s intestinal microbes. In this research Japanese macaque primates were the model.
Results revealed a dysbiosis. Surprisingly, there was a reduced number of non-pathogenic Campylobacter in the offspring’s gut. This new research challenges the current theory of obesity causing the changed microbes and instead points to maternal diet as influencer. Read the abstract in Nature Communication, May 20, 2014
Food for thought.