Is the Gut Microbiome the Key to Raising a Baby Genius?

Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / GettyThe surge in research into gut microbiome has been a refreshing revelation for scientists eager to understand how different parts of the body can affect physical health and the brain. But one of the most fascinating questions that has received scant research has been to how the diversity of bacteria living in the gut can affect brain development itself—especially in babies.A small new pilot study seeks to change that by providing the first data of its kind exploring how the levels of certain types of microbes in babies’ guts can affect their cognitive development. The results, published in the journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday, suggests that infants who have greater levels of certain bacteria are more likely to exhibit sharpened cognitive abilities.“Our small pilot study identified potential associations between the microbiome and measurements of early cognitive development,” lead study author Sebastian Hunter, from the University of British Columbia, told The Daily Beast. However, further research with bigger and more thorough trials is needed to establish the proper link between the microbiome and brain development.Read more at The Daily Beast.