Behaviour, mood and our Microbiome
Have you ever heard of the gut referred to as the second brain?
Understanding this bidirectional connection between the gut and the brain can help us to uncover what could be causing dysregulation in our children’s behaviour and moods.
How?
The gut microbiome is a diverse community of micro-organisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts that inhabit the digestive tract. These gut bugs play crucial roles in digestion, metabolism, nutrient absorption/synthesis, immune function and overall health. The gut microbiome is unique to each individual and is heavily influenced by diet, lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors. A healthy microbiome is associated with robust immunity, regular and formed bowel motions, optimal nutritional status, a regulated nervous system and reduced risk of mental health disorders. An imbalanced microbiome is associated with increased risk of obesity, blood sugar dysregulation, nutrient deficiencies, fussy eating and appetite changes, behavioural and developmental challenges, anxiety and depression.
Gut Brain Axis
The gut brain axis is a complex communication network that links the digestive system and the brain through multiple neural, hormonal and immune pathways. Some key aspects of the gut-brain axis are the microbiome’s critical role in the production of serotonin and GABA, the influence on immune cells and short chain fatty acids which protect the gut barrier and promote anti-inflammatory benefits. The vagus nerve which is a major pathway involved in digestion, appetite, hunger and fullness.
A healthy microbiome supports improved stress response and resilience through the HPA axis and cortisol regulation. Specific strains of beneficial bacteria have been associated with reduced anxiety and improved mood, indicating a direct link between gut health and mental well-being. A healthy microbiome supports cognitive functions such as memory and learning, which are important for adapting to stressful situations.
Neurotransmitter Production
Serotonin is needed for melatonin production and restful sleep, regulation of bowel motions, hunger and fullness cues, pain perception, bone development, learning, memory and cognition. Research suggests that approximately 90-95% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, primarily by cells located in the gut lining. AMAZING! But what that can mean is if the gut barrier is compromised or our children have low levels of beneficial bacteria due to a c-section birth, formula feeding, antibiotic exposure or low diet diversity the body can’t produce enough of the neurotransmitters needed to regulate the nervous system.
If you’d like to be able to support your child’s moods, behaviour and overall health the microbiome is one of the best places to start (ideally this starts before conception and throughout pregnancy as a mother’s gut and vaginal microbiome will be shared with bub but it’s never too late). The composition of the microbiome in children can increase their risk of conditions like ADD and ADHD. We know that the cycle can be perpetuated by fussy eating and nutrient deficiencies driven by imbalances in the microbiome.
Reduced diversity of beneficial bacteria leads to an increase in pathogenic bacteria being present which can damage gut barrier strength and contribute to neuroinflammation. A growing body of undeniable evidence shows the comparison between children with healthy microbiomes and children with dysbiotic microbiomes and the increased risk of behavioural disorders. To start balancing your child's microbiome to improve their behaviour; use BB Kids Eliminate followed by BB Kids Repair.
Supporting a Healthy Microbiome
A vaginal birth and breastfeeding are two of the most powerful ways to support a baby’s gut microbiome from the get-go. However, if breastfeeding isn’t possible or baby was delivered via c section there is plenty that can be done to prevent/correct imbalances and promote diversity. Knowledge and timing around when and what to feed baby through introduction of solids is also key in setting a child’s gut up for optimal health.
Diet plays a crucial role in shaping the gut microbiome. In instances of minor imbalances adjustments to diet and pre and probiotic supplements may be enough to shift the balance and correct overgrowths.
Foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods contain probiotics—live bacteria that support gut health. Prebiotic foods, such as green bananas, onions, garlic, and asparagus, feed the beneficial bacteria already in the gut and assist them to multiply and crowd out opportunistic and pathogenic bugs. Pre and probiotic foods work symbiotically – you need prebiotic foods in the diet to get the most out of probiotic foods and supplements. Including these in your child’s diet helps boost the health of the microbiome.
In instances of multiple imbalances, damage to the gut lining, very low levels of beneficial bacteria or struggles with fussy eating / aversions to plant based foods supplementation is often needed to support clearance of bacterial overgrowths and create space in the gut for repopulation of beneficial bacteria. This is also an important step in addressing nutrient deficiencies that exacerbate fussy eating as we need the right environment and the help of beneficial gut bugs for absorption of nutrients. Supplementing with a nutrient or multi without addressing underlying imbalances in the gut can result in little improvement.
We can encounter supplement refusal with children, particularly with antimicrobial herbs like pomegranate, thyme, nigella, turmeric that support bacterial clearance because of their strong taste that’s tricky to disguise. Although we have many tips and tricks to overcome this Balanced Beings set out to create a two-step product line of naturopathically formulated, highly effective, scientifically backed products, taste tested and approved by kids to support heavy metal elimination, parasite clearance, candida and worm elimination, harmful bacteria clearance and lipopolysaccharide detoxification. Followed by replenishment of nutrients, good bacteria colonisation and repair of the intestinal barrier.
Introducing the BB Kids Eliminate and BB Kids Repair.
Heavy metals, parasites, worms and harmful bacterial overgrowths have been found to be the leading cause of children’s health conditions such as autism, ADHD, sensory issues, eczema, psoriasis, autoimmune conditions, food allergies and intolerances, food fussiness, colic, reflux, asthma and recurrent infections.
BB Kids Repair is a pre and probiotic powder with ingredients such as vitamin D, zinc, glutamine that are scientifically proven to repair intestinal lining (coined as leaky gut), improve levels of bacterial bacteria in children, reduce inflammation, optimise food break down and nutrient absorption.
Alongside dietary and lifestyle modifications these products provide the foundations for optimizing the health of the gut and the microbiome for healthy happy and regulated kids. Turmeric linked to clostridium and good bacteria, study link here Pomegranate study link here.
There’s no denying the gut microbiome’s influence on children’s mood and behaviour, including emotional regulation and stress resilience. If your child is experiencing behavioural issues, hyperactivity, trouble focusing, mood instability or fussy eating, if they were born via c section or have had exposure to antibiotics, medications or vaccinations – imbalances in the microbiome, the presence of heavy metals or nutrient deficiencies may be major contributing factors. We’d love to help investigate, uncover and address these factors in a way tailored to your child. Our team specialise in functional testing and children’s health and are here to support you and share our knowledge!
References
Bakthavachalu, P., Kannan, M., Qoronfleh, W. (2020). Food Color and Autism: A Meta-Analysis. Personalized Food Intervention and Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder Management. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 24. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30402-7_15
Black, M. (2003). The Evidence Linking Zinc Deficiency with Children's Cognitive and Motor Functioning. The Journal of Nutrition, 133 (5). https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/133.5.1473S
Borre, Y., Moloney, R., Clarke, G., et al. (2014). The impact of microbiota on brain and behavior: mechanisms & therapeutic potential. Advances in Experiment https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0897-4_17. PMID: 24997043.
Hsueh, Y., Lee, C., Chien, S. et al. (2017). Association of blood heavy metals with developmental delays and health status in children. Scientific Reports, 7, (43608). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep43608
Lozoff, B., Corapci, F., Burden, M., et al. (2007). Preschool-Aged Children with Iron Deficiency Anemia Show Altered Affect and Behavior. The Journal of Nutrition, 137, (3) https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/137.3.683
Pelsser, L., Frankena, K., Toorman, J., et al. (2011). Effects of a restricted elimination diet on the behaviour of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (INCA study): a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 377 (9764). https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)62227-1/fulltext
Zhang, C., et al. (2019). "Gut microbiota and child development: From infancy to adolescence." Nature Microbiology.
Scharfman, A., et al. (2018). "Gut microbiota diversity and inflammatory markers in children." Psychiatry Research.
Huang, Y., et al. (2020). "Dietary fiber and mental health in children: A review." Frontiers in Psychology.
Keenan, A., et al. (2021). "Probiotics and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Nutrients.
Turmeric - Scazzocchio, B., Minghetti, L., & D'Archivio, M. (2020). Interaction between Gut Microbiota and Curcumin: A New Key of Understanding for the Health Effects of Curcumin. Nutrients, 12(9), 2499. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092499
Pomegranate - Zhaoping Li, Paula H. Summanen, Tomoe Komoriya, Susanne M. Henning, Ru-Po Lee, Eliisa Carlson, David Heber, Sydney M. Finegold. (2015).
Pomegranate ellagitannins stimulate growth of gut bacteria in vitro: Implications for prebiotic and metabolic effects. Anaerobe, 34 (164-168). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anaerobe.2015.05.012