Peer-reviewed article
Longitudinal Microbiome and Metabolome Shifts After Successful Intervention in Impending Stunting in Indonesian Infants.
Conny Tanjung, Ryohei Shibata, Bahrul Fikri, Titis Prawitasari, Andi Alfian Zainuddin et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how the gut microbiome and metabolome changed in Indonesian infants aged 6-12 months with weight faltering after they received either nutritional advice or nutritional advice plus oral supplements for one month. Both groups showed improved microbial diversity and composition after the intervention, with beneficial bacteria increasing and harmful bacteria decreasing. The oral supplement group had faster weight gain and different microbial patterns, while the advice-only group showed better metabolic changes. The findings suggest that nutritional interventions can improve gut health and support recovery from weight faltering in young children.
Key points
- Both intervention groups showed significant improvements in microbial diversity and species richness after one month
- Nutritional advice group showed increases in beneficial bacteria (Faecalibacterium, Peptostreptococcus) and decreases in pro-inflammatory Fusobacterium
- Oral supplements group had notable decrease in pathogenic Proteus bacteria and higher lactic acid bacteria
- Nutritional advice group showed metabolite improvements including increased Threonine, Tryptophan, and Xylose, suggesting better energy metabolism
- Oral supplements group achieved faster weight gain but displayed a distinct metabolic profile influenced by high milk protein intake
Limitations
The study does not specify sample size, loss to follow-up, or whether infants were randomly assigned to groups, limiting clarity on internal validity. The one-month intervention period is relatively short, so longer-term effects on stunting prevention and child development outcomes are unknown.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Stunting and weight faltering (WF) remain pressing public health challenges in low- and middle-income countries, with long-term consequences for child growth, development, and survival. While the role of gut health in early growth is increasingly recognized, evidence on how the gut microbiome and metabolome respond to nutritional interventions in WF infants is scarce. This study explored gut microbiome and metabolome changes in Indonesian infants aged 6-12 months who overcame WF following a one-month intervention. Methods: Infants were assigned to either a Nutritional Advice (NA) group or a Nutritional Advice plus Oral Nutritional Supplements (NAONS) group. Stool samples were collected before and after the intervention for microbiome (16S rRNA sequencing) and metabolome (LC-MS) analysis. Results: Significant shifts in gut microbial composition (beta diversity) and species richness (Chao1 index) were observed in both groups, suggesting enhanced microbial diversity and gut resilience. Within-group analysis revealed increases in beneficial genera such as Faecalibacterium and Peptostreptococcus, and a reduction in pro-inflammatory Fusobacterium in the NA group. The NAONS group showed a notable decrease in Proteus, a potentially pathogenic genus. Between-group comparisons indicated higher abundances of Lactococcus and Leuconostoc in the NAONS group, likely reflecting the influence of milk protein-rich supplements on microbial colonization, favoring lactic acid bacteria over SCFA-producing taxa, leading to better gut health. Metabolome analysis revealed significant changes in the NA group, increases in metabolites like Threonine, Tryptophan, and Xylose pointed to improved energy metabolism and gut health, while a decrease in Oxalic Acid suggested better metabolic efficiency. In contrast, the NAONS group, while benefiting from rapid weight gain, displayed a distinct metabolic profile influenced by high milk protein intake. No significant correlations were found between microbiome and metabolome changes, highlighting the complexity of gut-host interactions, suggesting that the interventions led to independent shifts in the aforementioned profiles. Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that nutritional interventions may enhance gut health and support recovery from weight faltering, providing insights into strategies that may contribute to restoring healthy growth trajectories and preventing stunting by modulating gut health.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- One-month nutritional intervention provided either as nutritional advice alone or nutritional advice plus oral nutritional supplements
- Population
- Indonesian infants aged 6-12 months with weight faltering
Key finding
Both groups showed significant shifts in gut microbial composition (beta diversity) and enhanced species richness (Chao1 index)
Tanjung et al. · PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) · 14 Nov 2025