Diarrhea is a significant cause of death among children in low- and middle-income countries, claiming the lives of 500,000 children under the age of five every year. Danish and Ethiopian researchers have recently discovered a link between chronic diarrhea and a specific pattern of gut bacteria, which could potentially lead to new life-saving treatments. The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in our health, with imbalances in this bacterial community being associated with various illnesses, including obesity, diabetes, and diarrhea. While acute diarrhea is usually easily treatable with antibiotics, chronic diarrhea can have severe consequences, especially for children, making treatment much more challenging.
In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers mapped the gut microbiome of over 1,300 Ethiopian children under the age of five. The study found that children with chronic diarrhea have significantly lower and different bacterial diversity compared to healthy children. Specifically, children with chronic diarrhea had more harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia and Campylobacter, and fewer beneficial bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium. Additionally, these children lacked bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids essential for gut health. The results suggest that chronic diarrhea develops when beneficial bacteria are lost, and the gut microbiome fails to recover, potentially due to factors like antibiotic treatment and poor diet.
The researchers speculate that a vicious cycle of chronic diarrhea may occur when antibiotics used to treat acute diarrhea also kill off good gut bacteria, leading to a further loss of beneficial microbes. As a result, children may struggle to recover and restore a healthy gut microbiome, ultimately perpetuating chronic diarrhea. To break this cycle, the researchers suggest focusing on designing an optimal diet to help restore the gut microbiome in affected children. They highlight the potential of using local superfoods like teff, a grain rich in nutrients and fiber, as a dietary supplement to help stop chronic diarrhea in Ethiopia.
While further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of dietary interventions in treating chronic diarrhea, the researchers are hopeful that their findings can pave the way for new, targeted treatments. By gaining a deeper understanding of the causes of chronic diarrhea and the role of gut bacteria in the condition, researchers can potentially develop more effective and sustainable interventions. Securing funding for additional research projects in the future will be key to further exploring the potential of dietary interventions and other treatments for chronic diarrhea. Overall, the discovery of the link between gut bacteria and chronic diarrhea offers new insights and possibilities for saving lives and improving the health outcomes of children in low- and middle-income countries.