Early Childhood Health / Microbiome / Gut Health
- May 1, 2019
- 2 min read
Have you ever considered what early childhood factors influenced your health story? Lately, I've been chronicling the role environmental factors may have had in changing the course of my health story. As we know we inherit our DNA and genes from our parents but did you know we also inherit their unique microbiome? Around the time this picture was taken I developed bronchitis and started my first dose of antibiotics. This was the first major factor that I know of that altered my gut microbiome.
Why is this so significant? Our microbiome has 1000X more bacterial genes than human genes!
“Our gut microbiome is formed early on and is impacted by exposure to antibiotics, toxins, nutrition and stress”- Dr. Emeran Mayer MD, PhD, leading Microbiome researcher and author of the Mind Gut Connection. “Modern assaults on the microbiome of a young child suggest that our offspring may not be inheriting their fair share. Studies have linked reduced exposure to good bacteria (due to C-sections and exposures to prenatal and postnatal antibiotics) to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, celiac disease, asthma and allergies, among other ailments.” - Martin J. Blaser, Director of the Human Microbiome Program at New York University, Author of Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues The exciting part is this....
Although we might not be able to do much about our genetic profile we can very rapidly change our bacterial genome (microbiome). Yes, we all have the ability to change the course of our health story!
So, what can we do to give children the best future health story?
Reduce Toxins - Babies can be born with up to 200 chemicals and toxins in their bloodstreams. That is a huge toxic burden for a baby just starting life. I understand we live in a toxic world yet there are many things we can do to reduce our exposures. Check out our recent Facebook live video for tips!
Choose Love - Our emotions, feelings, reactions and minds are all intricately connected to our gut health. As social creatures we thrive on interactions with each other. Stress at an early age can impact the types of bacteria that settle into our gut and thereby influence our health. For example, when baby monkeys were separated from their mothers, one study showed that there was a reduction in a species of helpful bacteria and increase in certain bacteria associated with psychiatric conditions and gut imbalance.
Healthy Habits - Our lifestyle habits alter our gene expression. It is what we do and how we live that influence our genes and our ability to lead a healthy life. It is never too late to commit to habits that can positively benefit the quality of your life.
Do you know someone that would benefit from this blog post? Please share with friends and family so we can raise awareness of factors that determine early childhood health.
Related Article: The Importance of Infant's Exposure to Micro-Organisms
Check out additional blog posts at: www.healthyplanetgroup.com
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