Microbiota-Directed Therapeutic Foods for the Treatment of Childhood Undernutrition

Undernutrition is the leading cause of child mortality worldwide. Moreover, children who survive periods of undernutrition suffer long-term consequences including stunted growth, greater susceptibility to infection, and cognitive deficiencies. Therefore, undernutrition is a substantial public health and economic burden that limits human potential in low-income countries. An increasing body of evidence posits that Ԯormalՠgut community (microbiota) development is linked to healthy growth; however, therapeutic foods currently used to treat undernutrition were not designed considering the impact on the developing gut microbiota. We hypothesized that by treating undernourished children with microbiota-directed therapeutic foods to repair their gut microbiota immaturity, we could improve outcomes such as gut barrier function, immune function, metabolism, and growth.\nHere, I combined culture-independent V4-16S sequencing and machine learning…