The Role of the Microbiome in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Stiemsma LT, Michels KB. The Role of the Microbiome in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Pediatrics. 2018 Apr;141(4). pii: e20172437. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-2437. Epub 2018 Mar 8. Review. PubMed PMID: 29519955; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5869344.

Although the prominent role of the microbiome in human health has been established, the early-life microbiome is now being recognized as a major influence on long-term human health and development. Variations in the composition and functional potential of the early-life microbiome are the result of lifestyle factors, such as mode of birth, breastfeeding, diet, and antibiotic usage. In addition, variations in the composition of the early-life microbiome have been associated with specific disease outcomes, such as asthma, obesity, and neurodevelopmental disorders. This points toward this bacterial consortium as a mediator between early lifestyle factors and health and disease. In addition, variations in the microbial intrauterine environment may predispose neonates to specific health outcomes later in life. A role of the microbiome in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease is supported in this collective research. Highlighting the early-life critical window of susceptibility associated with microbiome development, we discuss infant microbial colonization, beginning with the maternal-to-fetal exchange of microbes in utero and up through the influence of breastfeeding in the first year of life. In addition, we review the available disease-specific evidence pointing toward the microbiome as a mechanistic mediator in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.

Disponível Em: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/>