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Recent studies have shown that altering the gut microbiome can contribute to the development of obesity (JW Infect Dis Sep 5 2012). In a recent study involving twin pairs in Malawi, researchers explored the possibility that alterations in this microbiome could be a causal factor in the severe acute malnutrition syndrome kwashiorkor.
From 317 twin pairs tracked during the first 3 years of life, the researchers selected 9 well-nourished same-sex pairs (5 monozygotic and 4 dizygotic) and 13 kwashiorkor-discordant same-sex pairs (7 monozygotic and 6 dizygotic) for detailed microbiome analysis. Analysis of three sequential samples from each twin showed that in all well-nourished infants, there was a steady progression of the fecal microbiome towa…