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Children are often taught to eat healthy food to maintain good health, development, and growth. However, the poor diet and lifestyles that have become common in America are persisting despite the known health risks: obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, to name a few. A new study conducted at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) provides evidence that further highlights the importance of a balanced diet, especially during one’s childhood. The researchers fed juvenile mice a diet filled with fat and sugar and found that there were long-term impacts on their microbiome as mature mice—even despite the mice switching to a healthy diet when they were older. The initial diet simulated the conditions of a Western diet, including an overconsumption of sugars, saturated fats, and processed foods.
The microbiome plays a key role in digestion, nutrition, and immunity. It is composed of bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses that are found in the digestive tract, where they help break down food, form necessary vitamins, and regulate metabolism. A healthy balance of these microorganisms in the microbiota is important; imbalances may make the body more susceptible to disease, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
In the UCR study, the mice were divided into different groups based on the diet they were fed (standard or high-fat Western diet) and access to exercise (whether they had a running wheel or not). The four treatment groups included mice given a standard diet and no wheels, Western diet and no wheels, standard diet and wheels, and Western diet and wheels. The mice were given their respective diets and access/lack of access to exercise for three weeks, allowing them to reach sexual maturity at the age of six weeks. After the three weeks, all the mice were given the same standard diet and no exercise for another eight weeks.
The microbiome plays a key role in digestion, nutrition, and immunity. It is composed of bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses that are found in the digestive tract, where they help break down food, form necessary vitamins, and regulate metabolism. A healthy balance of these microorganisms in the microbiota is important; imbalances may make the body more susceptible to disease, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
In the UCR study, the mice were divided into different groups based on the diet they were fed (standard or high-fat Western diet) and access to exercise (whether they had a running wheel or not). The four treatment groups included mice given a standard diet and no wheels, Western diet and no wheels, standard diet and wheels, and Western diet and wheels. The mice were given their respective diets and access/lack of access to exercise for three weeks, allowing them to reach sexual maturity at the age of six weeks. After the three weeks, all the mice were given the same standard diet and no exercise for another eight weeks.
The prevalence of the high-fat, high-sugar Western diet in America has resulted in increasing concern for people’s overall health and well-being, particularly with respect to one’s gut health and microbiome.
Image Source: Christopher Williams
Although exercise helped to increase certain bacterial species in the gut, the effects were limited compared to the long-lasting effects of an unhealthy diet. The study found a significant decrease in microbiome diversity and number of gut bacteria in mature mice when they were given an unhealthy diet as juveniles. A high microbiome diversity is important for maintaining one’s overall health because the gut microbiota determines the rate at which nutrients are absorbed and how the immune system fights pathogens. Certain bacteria are able to break down certain foods while others are not. Therefore, a healthy combination of different gut bacteria is essential for greater utilization of energy from food. Even when the mice switched to a healthy diet after three weeks of the Western diet, their microbiome diversity had already been significantly altered.
With the availability and accessibility of fast food, there is increasing concern for healthy eating during childhood. It is important that parents ensure their children are having a nutrition-rich diet that limits fat and sugar intake because early-life diets can potentially have lifelong impacts on their health. As such, eating healthy starting from childhood, when the body is at a crucial stage of development, is important for maintaining one’s health in the long run.
With the availability and accessibility of fast food, there is increasing concern for healthy eating during childhood. It is important that parents ensure their children are having a nutrition-rich diet that limits fat and sugar intake because early-life diets can potentially have lifelong impacts on their health. As such, eating healthy starting from childhood, when the body is at a crucial stage of development, is important for maintaining one’s health in the long run.
Featured Image Source: Kampus Production
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