Mixed Evidence for Impact of Early Infant Gut Microbiome and Later Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the MARBLES Prospective Cohort Study.
Jennie Sotelo-Orozco, Diana H Taft, Jassim Al-Oboudi and 8 others
PMID 41724596WHAT IT FOUND
Early infant gut microbiome composition at 0 to 7 months did not differ between children later diagnosed with autism, non-typical development, or typical development.
Delivery mode and feeding type had stronger effects on microbiome diversity than neurodevelopmental outcome.
Key findings
01No significant differences in alpha diversity or beta diversity were found between infants who later developed ASD or non-TD compared to those who developed typically.
02No bacterial taxa were differentially abundant between outcome groups after adjusting for multiple comparisons.
03Mixed feeding was associated with higher Shannon diversity and microbial richness compared to exclusive breastfeeding.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was likely underpowered to detect subtle differences in the microbiome associated with later neurodevelopmental outcomes. All participants were at high familial risk for ASD, so findings may not generalize to the general population. Samples were only collected up to 7 months of age, missing the potential window of 8-12 months where microbiome changes may occur. 16S rRNA sequencing does not capture species- or strain-level taxonomic differences. A subset of participants (n=31) was diagnosed using alternative tools due to pandemic restrictions, though the majority used gold-standard assessments.
Declared interests
Funded by NIH, Simons Foundation, and EPA. Authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of significant findings as proof that the gut microbiome plays no role in ASD. The study was underpowered and only looked at early infancy (0-7 months), a period when the microbiome is highly dynamic and potentially less stable than in older children. Subtle trends were observed before statistical correction, suggesting differences might exist but were not strong enough to detect in this sample size.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →