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Breastfeeding, Nutrition, and Early Life Health (Oral Session 2)

(OR02-05-25) Origins of Health Outcomes: Linking the Gut Microbiome and Early Life Events to Predict Childhood Obesity Risk

Saturday, May 31, 2025
10:36 AM – 10:48 AM ET
Location: S230 E-H

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Sterling L. Wright, PhD (he/him/his)

    Postdoctoral Scholar
    Arizona State University
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • MP

    Megan E. Petrov, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Arizona State University
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States

  • CW

    Corrie M. Whisner, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Arizona State University
    Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Objectives: While numerous studies have explored the impact of feeding mode (e.g., breastfeeding, formula feeding, or mixed feeding) on microbiome composition, many are limited by cross-sectional designs, small sample sizes, or low-resolution sequencing techniques. This study leverages full-length 16S rRNA sequencing and a longitudinal approach to comprehensively examine how feeding mode influences gut microbiome composition during the first year of life, offering potential predictors of future health outcomes.

Methods: A longitudinal study collected fecal samples from infants at five time points: 3 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. Feeding practices and demographic data were gathered using validated surveys. DNA was extracted from the fecal samples using the PowerSoil Pro DNA Isolation Kit, and the gut microbiome was characterized using PacBio full-length 16S rRNA sequencing. Statistical modeling in QIIME2 and R was employed to test our hypotheses, adjusting for confounders including age, sex, race/ethnicity, and introduction of solid foods.

Results: A total of 395 infant gut microbiome samples were examined. Unlike prior studies, neither infant age nor feeding mode influenced alpha diversity. However, a linear mixed-effects model, accounting for confounding covariates, revealed a significant association between feeding mode and gut microbiome composition (β=-0.294, p=0.001). Differential abundance analysis identified Lactococcus lactis as enriched in exclusively breastfed infants compared to formula-fed and mixed-fed groups. Additionally, the abundance of Bifidobacterium spp, specifically B. infantis and B. breve in exclusively breast-fed babies remained constant throughout the first year of life but decreased in formula-fed and mixed-fed infants.

Conclusions: This comprehensive dataset highlights the significant longitudinal influence of feeding mode on the developing infant gut microbiome. It provides nuanced insights into the role of timing and duration of feeding practices in shaping microbiome composition, with potential implications for future health outcomes.

Funding Sources: National Institutes of Health NHLBI (R01HL147931)