The Microbiome and Children
Looking at the Gut: A Window into Why Our Children are Struggling
“All disease begins in the gut.” Hippocrates
We’ve all heard Hippocrates' line, “All disease begins in the gut.” Many cultures have known this for hundreds and thousands of years, but only in the past couple decades has the scientific community really begun to embrace research on the microbiome. As adults, we are increasingly exposed to articles about how the state of our microbiome affects our physical and mental health and it’s not unusual to hear of friends and family trying probiotics or intermittent fasting. However, relating this to children is often overlooked.
In the past 25 years I spent in the classroom, I’ve seen children’s bodies and brains increasingly struggle. Several childhood conditions including ADHD, autism, asthma, dyslexia, and anxiety have all been on the rise. And while some of these are considered neurological and others physical disorders, researchers are finding out that they have common underlying imbalances such as gut dysbiosis. Often the solution is to throw more tutoring at the child, accommodate their attention needs, and sometimes use medication. But what if we could bring down inflammation and calm their brains and bodies, by instead restoring the gut.
The gut has often been called the second brain.
Our enteric nervous system is housed in the gut and through the vagus nerve communicates with the central nervous system. Over 2,000 different kinds of bacteria coexist in the gut, weighing between 2-5 lbs. We have more bacteria than human cells! Amazingly 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut and gut microbes produce other neurotransmitters and cofactors for neurotransmitters such as GABA, dopamine and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters play large roles in regulating such important functions as anxiety, learning, attention, mood, fear, behavioral flexibility and memory. The microbiome also plays a large role in our immune system. It helps with assimilation of nutrients, regulates digestion and hormone production, and assists with detoxification. So a happy diverse gut that is functioning well makes a happy, focused child who is better able to regulate their emotions, engage with enthusiasm in life, and participate in class.
Over the past century, major changes in the way we live have affected our microbiomes.
The introduction of antibiotics while life-saving, too often has been overprescribed and found to disrupt the microbiome. Other pharmaceuticals such as steroids and proton pump inhibitors change the PH and consequently result in an overgrowth of bad bacteria. Human consumption of sugar has changed drastically over the past 200 years. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria and encourages yeast overgrowth. Highly processed foods often with chemical additives were also unknown a 100 years ago, but have become a large part of our diets. The body often does not know how to process these, resulting in a toxic overload hard for the body to get rid of. In response, the body creates inflammation. Our children‘s bodies need microbiomes full of healthy microbes that help excrete toxins, turn on their immune cells and produce neurotransmitters.
Biodiversity is a sign of life and wellness - for our planet and our microbiome.
Our bodies and our children’s bodies are no different than the world around us. As biodiversity decreases and toxic overload increases, our ponds turn to algae and our coral reefs die. Likewise, our microbiome, fed highly processed food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, is losing its diversity. And with lack of diversity, comes decreased vibrancy and health. But great environmentalists have shown us that with attention, care and the right interventions, we can restore habitats such as the Hudson river. And so too can we take control of our children’s microbiome and begin down the road of restoring a balanced brain and body which benefits our children not only in the moment but increases their health down the road.
Life style is paramount! The choices we make and model for our children - what we eat and drink, how we sleep, deal with stress - affect our children’s minds and bodies .
How can we do this? We are all bio-individual with unique genetic and environmental/lifestyle factors so there is no one size fits all. However, there are basic steps we can take to address common underlying imbalances in the gut:
Reduce or eliminate processed foods.
Add in organic, nutrient dense foods without chemical additives.
Eliminate stressors on the body - food sensitivities, excessive sugar.
Eliminate toxins in our foods, homes and personal products.