ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOME IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MALNUTRITION

Abstract

Malnutrition remains the leading cause of death worldwide in children under five, and India carries one of the highest burdens of childhood under-nutrition and, increasingly, over-nutrition. Beyond poverty, poor feeding practices, infection and socio-cultural factors, a growing body of evidence points to the gut microbiome as an additional, modifiable determinant of nutritional status. This review outlines how malnutrition is classified and identified, and traces the assembly of the infant gut microbiome from birth through breastfeeding, describing the maternal, dietary, genetic and immune factors that shape its composition. It then examines the functional roles the gut microbiome plays in host physiology, including nutrient absorption, vitamin synthesis, maturation of the intestinal barrier and regulation of the mucosal immune system, and considers how disruption of these functions through altered intestinal permeability contributes to the vicious cycle linking infection, impaired immunity and worsening malnutrition. Evidence from clinical and experimental studies, including a placebo-controlled trial of symbiotic supplementation in children with failure to thrive, is discussed to illustrate the therapeutic potential of microbiome-targeted interventions. Taken together, the findings support a view of malnutrition not simply as a lack of food, but as a condition shaped by the composition and function of the gut microbiota, with implications for how it is prevented and managed.