Education intervention study
The Micropia research group at the VU University in Amsterdam is collaborating with researchers from the University of Oslo on an educational intervention study in rural Uganda. Mothers receive local training in healthy nutrition, hygiene and education when their babies are six to eight months old. The development of the children is then monitored and compared with a control group of children, whose mothers received standard medical care without training.
Positive effects
The study shows that there are positive effects of the training in the field of language and motor development and on the growth retardation of the children. At the VU University Amsterdam, it was investigated whether there were also effects of the training on the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota of the children. Although no significant differences were found in the intestinal microbiota compared to the control group, the study did have a significantly different result.
Many Prevotella bacteria
Between the second and third birthday of the children, the intestinal microbiota appear to change in composition and diversity increases. This is a known fact when children switch from breastfeeding to solid food. For example, a group of intestinal bacteria called bifidobacteria is decreasing in numbers because they grow specifically on sugars in breast milk.
However, the composition appears to be different from that of children in Western countries. For example, African children contain large amounts of the genus Prevotella, while Western children contain more bacteria of the genus Bacteroides. This is probably a result of the carbohydrate-rich diet in East Africa, which includes the grain of sorghum. This is broken down by enzymes from all kinds of Prevotella species in the large intestine. In doing so, this study confirms the picture obtained in a previous study in the scientific journal Science which found that our long-term diet determines which intestinal microbiota or enterotype we belong to. In case of consumption of mainly carbohydrates, man belongs to the Prevotella enterotype (common in Africa, South-East Asia and South America) and in case of consumption of many animal proteins and fats, man belongs to the Bacteroides type (Europe , North America and Australia). The intestinal microbiota type-is remarkably stable: A 10-day, radical change in the diet from grains to meat or vice-versa has no effect on the type.
Source: Journal of global health