Today’s report brings together two studies into one soup that impacts health from infancy to adulthood. While the two groups of researchers know little to nothing of each other, their work comes together to guide families, society, and medical providers on the importance of early childhood nutrition and family meals.
On one hand, the group from University of California – Riverside studied mice to disover how long early life nutrition would impact the mice microbiomes. In the study, mice who were fed a healthier diet and provided exercise opportunity with a wheel, continued to have different bacteria in their colons. Even after eating a standard lab animal diet for weeks, the mice with a healthier diet early on with exercise had higher bacteria levels of certain species.
On the other hand, researchers from University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences examined the eating habits and level of food security for 500 families. On the eating habit side, they looked at organization of meal times such as how many family meals occurred per week and use of technology devices during mealtime. On the food security side, they looked at whether the families had adequate access to healthy food options. Greater frequency of family meals together correlated with healthier food options.
Now, let’s mix these finding together with families spending more time together at mealtimes with less technology focusing on healthier diets for their children. Other nutrition studies over the years also point to the lasting benefits of early childhood health diets. Just think how many heart attacks, cases of diabetes, cases of hypertension, and other lifestyle related illnesses could be prevented. Lets help families start and continue healthier more abundant lives with more family meals and less technology at the table.
Original Articles:
Allen W. Barton, Brenda D. Koester, Elinor M. Fujimoto, Barbara H. Fiese. The complexities of family mealtimes in the 21st century: A latent profile analysis. Appetite, 2021; 157: 105009 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.105009
Itai Doron et al. Human gut mycobiota tune immunity via CARD9-dependent induction of anti-fungal IgG antibodies. Cell, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.016
Thanks to Science Daily:
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. “Ensuring healthy family mealtimes is important — and complicated.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210205085727.htm>.
Weill Cornell Medicine. “Fungi in the gut prime immunity against infection.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210205155813.htm>.
Other Links that might interest you:
Milk It Does A Baby Good – HERE https://sanctuaryfunctionalmedicine.com/topics/pediatrics/milk-it-does-a-baby-good/
Breastfeeding Lowers Asthma and Allergy – HERE https://sanctuaryfunctionalmedicine.com/topics/functional-medicine/breastfeeding-lowers-asthma-and-allergy/
Infant Gluten and Type 1 Diabetes – HERE https://sanctuaryfunctionalmedicine.com/topics/functional-medicine/infant-gluten-and-type-1-diabetes/
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
