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Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

medicalxpress.com

11–20 of 84 posts

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#11

The more I come across articles like this (yes: I know it’s talking about early life) the more I start to wonder if the problems I’ve struggled with in the past and to a somewhat lesser extent now (anxiety, with quite severe physical symptoms) are caused by/can at least be alleviated by a change in gut flora. I have this weird feeling (based on some recurring experience) that anxiety and digestion are somehow deeply…

It feels way too complex to draw clear conclusions, but perhaps we can try a more transitive approach:

- It's well established now that physical exercice has an effect on clinical depression and specific mental issues

- Gut flora directly affects your physical state, in particular the amount of energy you'll have to consume that day (both in what nutrients it can extract, and how effectively it does so)

Gut flora impacting your physical state, impacting your mental health would look like a decent link to me.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#13

The more I come across articles like this (yes: I know it’s talking about early life) the more I start to wonder if the problems I’ve struggled with in the past and to a somewhat lesser extent now (anxiety, with quite severe physical symptoms) are caused by/can at least be alleviated by a change in gut flora. I have this weird feeling (based on some recurring experience) that anxiety and digestion are somehow deeply…

The gut-brain connection[1] is very real! I think we're only really starting to understand how much they are related.

[1]https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-preventi...

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#15

The more I come across articles like this (yes: I know it’s talking about early life) the more I start to wonder if the problems I’ve struggled with in the past and to a somewhat lesser extent now (anxiety, with quite severe physical symptoms) are caused by/can at least be alleviated by a change in gut flora. I have this weird feeling (based on some recurring experience) that anxiety and digestion are somehow deeply…

Worked out more to speed digestion, ate more fiber and veggies to smooth digestion. Varied my diet.

Anxiety got totally under control.

It quickly reverts when I stop this.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#16

The antibiotic link is really alarming. Growing up in a country where antibiotics are basically prescribed for any illness, my mom refused to administer it to us unless there was an emergency. Clearly she had some foresight. I find it a tough choice for my own kids. For example, if they have an ear infection, you could try waiting it out, and sometimes they can get better on their own, but it's riskier and might be l…

I'm having a hard time believing in the antibiotic link.

I've spent quite a bit of time in various parts of South America where antibiotics are available without prescription and from what I've seen, used for every fever and sniffle for 40 years+ now. I'm not seeing generations of Autistic and ADHD people there. If the antibiotic link was true, wouldn't it be worse there?

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#17
I wonder how two identical twins with the same DNA might not both have autism. If it is environmental, having different gut flora seems more like an effect rather than a root cause since twin babies are usually given identical foods.

I think it would be really ironic if the cure for autism was a vaccine though.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#18

The antibiotic link is really alarming. Growing up in a country where antibiotics are basically prescribed for any illness, my mom refused to administer it to us unless there was an emergency. Clearly she had some foresight. I find it a tough choice for my own kids. For example, if they have an ear infection, you could try waiting it out, and sometimes they can get better on their own, but it's riskier and might be l…

I've found this difficult as well, my mother always jumped right to antibiotics and it had some pretty clear long term consequences.

My approach with my kids has been to use antibiotics only if there's no progression (better or worse). I figure as long as it appears the immune system is doing its job, that's enough for most cases.

So far, we've given our 3-year antibiotics on two occasions. Once for an ear infection that wouldn't clear and for when he had pneumonia.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#19

My layman's intuition points towards inflammation for at least ASD, less so the ADHD.

...except that inflammatory bowel problems are common in people with connective tissue disorders and that venn diagram significantly overlaps with ASD
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