COVID-19 lockdowns impacted gut microbes, allergies in newborns: Study – The Indian Express

Lockdowns put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the gut microbiome development of babies born during the period, according to a study conducted in Ireland.

The study published in the journal Allergy Thursday is the first to explore the gut health of babies born during the pandemic, according to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of microbes that live in our digestive tract and it plays an important role in human health.

Researchers analysed feacal samples from 351 babies born in the first three months of the pandemic and compared these with pre-pandemic samples.

The new study showed there were significant differences in the development of microbiomes in the guts of babies born during the pandemic and those born before. Also, the babies born during lockdown had lower than expected rates of allergic conditions, the study found.

Pandemic babies got gut health benefits because of lower rates of infection (and, therefore, antibiotic use) and increased duration of breastfeeding, according to the study. These newborns were found to have acquired more beneficial microbes after birth from their mothers. These microbes could play a protective role against allergic diseases.

This study offers a new perspective on the impact of social isolation in early life on the gut microbiome. Notably, the lower allergy rates among newborns during the lockdown could highlight the impact of lifestyle and environmental factors, such as frequent antibiotic use, on the rise of allergic diseases. We hope to re-examine these children when they are 5 years old to see if there are longer-term impacts of these interesting changes in the early gut microbiome, said Jonathan Hourihane, joint senior author of the study, in a press statement.

According to Liam OMahony, joint senior author, while all of us start our lives sterile, these beneficial microbes develop in the gut over the first years of life. With social distancing and other restrictions in place, the complexity of early life exposures was reduced, and this facilitated a more accurate identification of early life exposures.

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COVID-19 lockdowns impacted gut microbes, allergies in newborns: Study - The Indian Express