Adversity experienced across generations impacts the gut microbiome and mental health in childhood

What is it about?

Adversity experienced during a mother’s pregnancy, her child’s early life, or even her own childhood increases her child’s risk for mental illness. We show here for the first time in humans that adversity experienced in a mother’s childhood is also related to composition of her child’s gut microbiome. We also show that mothers’ symptoms of anxiety during pregnancy, and children’s stressful life events during the first two years of life, are related to children’s gut microbiome composition which echoes findings from other studies.

Featured Image

Photo by Thiago Cerqueira on Unsplash

Photo by Thiago Cerqueira on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Some of the microbes that were related to children’s current and future mental health in the study likely perform similar functions in the gut to those affected by adversity. This finding suggests that changes to the gut microbiome may be one way that effects of adversity are transmitted across generations. Going forward, this study also highlights the need for further research into how adversity may impact functioning of the gut microbiome. Ultimately, knowing the role of the gut microbiome in increased rates of mental illness after adversity exposure may lead to new and improved treatments and preventatives for mental illness in adversity-exposed families.