A University of Colorado Anschutz-led study published in Cell Reports found that infants at 2 to 4 months of age share an average of 35% of gut microbiome species with their mothers.

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Interruption of maternal-infant microbe sharing caused by C-section delivery can be restored postnatally through breastfeeding and a prebiotic-rich infant diet, according to lead author Noel T. Mueller.

For non-breastfed infants, formula alternatives containing human milk oligosaccharides and prudent antibiotic use can help preserve and support the infant microbiome.

Certain species within the bacterial genera Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium help break down human milk oligosaccharides, which are specialized carbohydrates present in human breast milk.

Introducing Bifidobacterium infantis alongside human milk oligosaccharides can help the microbe engraft in the gut of infants who did not acquire it from their mothers.

Researchers found that lower initial levels of Coprococcus spp. bacteria in individuals with mild cognitive impairment were associated with faster memory and thinking skills decline over a one-year follow-up period.

A Cardiff University and Imperial College London study found that individuals with mild cognitive impairment who had higher initial levels of Bilophila spp. bacteria and the chemicals arginine, aspartic acid, and hypoxanthine experienced faster cognitive decline over one year.

Professor Paul Morgan of Cardiff University stated that the gut could offer a window into brain changes occurring during the earliest stages of cognitive decline.

Study co-author Dr. You Zhou stated that combining gut bacteria and digestive chemicals distinguished individuals with mild cognitive impairment from healthy people with high accuracy.

Researchers from Cardiff University and Imperial College London found that older adults with mild cognitive impairment displayed significantly elevated levels of Izemoplasmatales spp. bacteria and the chemical proline in fecal samples.

Authors of the MedComm study indicated that future research needs to examine the influences of diet, lifestyle, ethnicity, environment, and genetic risk on gut microbial markers.

In an independent validation cohort from a previous study, bacterial gut markers successfully distinguished people with mild cognitive impairment from healthy individuals.

Researchers stated that future clinical studies must evaluate gut microbiome markers across larger and more diverse demographic cohorts.

A study published in MedComm found that adults with mild cognitive impairment showed decreased levels of Ruminococcus spp. and Lachnospira spp. bacteria alongside lower levels of fumaric acid.

Professor Julian Marchesi of Imperial College London stated that gut bacteria and digestive chemicals are increasingly recognized as an important link between the gut and the brain.

The study utilized machine learning algorithms to analyze fecal sample biomarkers to diagnose mild cognitive impairment and predict condition progression speed.

University of Colorado Anschutz researchers focused on the genera Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium, which act as early gut colonizers, assist immune training, and exhibit delayed colonization after C-section delivery.

The University of Colorado Anschutz study showed infants delivered vaginally shared 38% of gut microbiome species with their mothers, compared to 24.7% among infants delivered by C-section.

Higher shared risk between mothers and children for non-genetic conditions like obesity, asthma, and eczema prompted University of Colorado Anschutz researchers to evaluate maternal microbiome transfer.

Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and StrainPhlAn strain tracking, University of Colorado Anschutz researchers differentiated species and strains of microbes shared between mothers and infants.

Lead author Noel T. Mueller noted that because the study was observational, experimental randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm causality and test microbiome restoration interventions.