The following is a summary of “Pooled Fecal Microbiota Association with Height Growth in Children Based on Enterotypes,” published in the December 2023 issue of Pediatrics by Park, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to investigate the association between fecal microbiota composition and height in children, exploring potential differences in bacterial profiles between children with short stature and those of standard height based on enterotypes (ETs).

Children were categorized into normal-stature (NS; n = 335) and short-stature (SS; n = 152) groups based on height z scores for age and gender. Fecal bacterial data (n = 487) were analyzed using the QIIME 2 platform and the National Center for Biotechnology Information alignment search tool. Machine learning algorithms were employed to predict short stature based on ETs, and model quality was validated.

The SS proportion was 16.4% in ET Enterobacteriaceae (ET-E) and 68.1% in Prevotellaceae (ET-P). Chao1 and Shannon indexes were significantly lower in the SS group than in the NS group, particularly in ET-P. Fecal bacteria related to short stature were similar across ETs. However, network analysis revealed higher negative correlations between fecal bacteria in NS and SS groups in ET-P compared to ET-E. Metagenome function analysis showed an inverse association of biotin and secondary bile acid synthesis and downregulation of insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1-driven phosphoinositide 3-kinase Akt signaling and AMP-kinase signaling in the SS group compared with the NS group in both ETs.

The study suggested an association between gut microbial composition and height in children, with potential implications for strategies aimed at modifying and optimizing gut microbiota to promote height in the population.

Source: journals.lww.com/jpgn/abstract/2023/12000/association_of_pooled_fecal_microbiota_on_height.23.aspx