Microbiota-directed therapy may improve growth rate in malnourished children

Results need to be verified on a larger scale

Tim Joos, MD, who was not part of the study, said it is surprising that MDCF-2 was better at promoting growth than existing nutritional supplements.

“The study suggests that remedying malnutrition requires more than just ensuring adequate calorie and nutrient intake,” Dr. Joos, a pediatrician at NeighborCare Health in Seattle, noted in an interview. “It is a small study and needs to be verified on a larger scale and in more diverse locations and pediatric ages (outside of the 12- to 18-month-old cohort studied).”

Wendy S. Garrett, MD, PhD, who also didn’t participate in the study, wrote in an accompanying editorial that overarching questions remain concerning the long-lasting effects of the intervention on children’s growth trajectory and cognitive development. She also said that the study “provides an abundance of fascinating microbiome profile data, plasma protein correlates, and metadata to sift through.”

Dr. Gordon and colleagues said the findings underscore the broad effects gut microbiota has on human biology and they hope this will open the door to better definitions of wellness for infants/children.

Dr. Garrett is the Irene Heinz Given Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the departments of immunology and infectious diseases and of molecular metabolism at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and she has no disclosures. Dr. Gordon is the recipient of a Thought Leader award from Agilent Technologies. Dr. Joos disclosed no relevant financial relationships.