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Review
. 2018 Nov 27;5(12):160.
doi: 10.3390/children5120160.

Development of the Gut Microbiome in Children, and Lifetime Implications for Obesity and Cardiometabolic Disease

Anica I Mohammadkhah  1 , Eoin B Simpson  2 , Stephanie G Patterson  3 , Jane F Ferguson  4
Affiliations
Review

Development of the Gut Microbiome in Children, and Lifetime Implications for Obesity and Cardiometabolic Disease

Anica I Mohammadkhah et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that microbiome composition and function is associated with development of obesity and metabolic disease. Microbial colonization expands rapidly following birth, and microbiome composition is particularly variable during infancy. Factors that influence the formation of the gut microbiome during infancy and childhood may have a significant impact on development of obesity and metabolic dysfunction, with life-long consequences. In this review, we examine the determinants of gut microbiome composition during infancy and childhood, and evaluate the potential impact on obesity and cardiometabolic risk.

Keywords: cardiometabolic disease; microbiome; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Determinants of microbiome composition, and potential mechanisms linking microbiota to disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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