How Does Your Toddler’s Gut Influence Their Growth: The Gut Growth Connection

Toddler’s gut health plays an important role in their overall development. Our gut comprises of trillions of microorganisms that work hard every day to perform diverse functions. These microbes play a crucial role in digestion, metabolism, vitamin synthesis and immune system regulation.

The gut bacteria may also affect toddler’s mood, learning ability (concentration) and behavior through a bidirectional communication system called the gut-brain axis.¹ About 90% of serotonin, the “feel good” chemical, is made in the gut rather than the brain.² Research suggests that the gut and brain constantly communicate through neural, hormonal, and immune pathways, which may affect emotional and behavioral responses in children.³

Understanding the gut-growth connection enables parents to recognize the gut as a central “powerhouse”. This allows them to take the right steps to support toddlers’ digestion, nutrition and well-being.

What is Gut Health in Toddlers?

The gut comprises the stomach, intestines and microbes (bacteria, fungi and viruses) that live inside them, collectively known as the gut microbiome. An optimum gut health refers to how well a child’s digestive system functions.

As a child grows, the gut microbiome continues to change and evolve. By about 3 years of age, a toddler’s microbiome stabilizes and begins to resemble that of an adult.⁴ A good gut health in toddlers also means a relatively balanced gut microbiome.

This balance is shaped by various factors that influence the development and maturation of the gut microbiota. These include placental inflammation, pregnancy course, and maternal infection during pregnancy, type of delivery, feeding methods, perinatal conditions and geographical factors.⁵

The Gut-Growth Connection

Gut microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium play a key role in maintaining toddler gut health. They break down dietary fibers into metabolites like short chain fatty acids. These metabolites signal the body to produce insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which is the primary hormone responsible for bone elongation (height) and muscle development⁵.

With a diverse and healthy microbiota, the child is able to effectively utilize nutrients to fuel these growth processes. However, poor gut health can result in gut inflammation and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can disrupt growth hormones, thereby negatively impacting a child’s growth.

Gut Health and Immunity

The gut lining serves as the body’s first line of defense. When malnutrition occurs, it can result in significant changes in the gut flora, often leading to dysbiosis (an imbalance of the good and bad bacteria). This weakens the gut barrier integrity (strength of the gut lining), which is important for nutrient absorption.

This results in increased permeability of the gut barrier, allowing harmful microbes to enter the bloodstream. This leads to frequent infections and reduced nutrient absorption.² About 70-80% immune cells are present in the gut, impacting the toddler’s ability to fight infections.⁶

With repeated infections and illnesses, the child’s appetite reduces and poor nutrient absorption affects weight gain and linear growth. This emphasizes the importance of a balanced gut microbiome in toddlers.

Gut Health: Brain Development and Mood

The central nervous system and the nerves in the digestive tract constantly communicate through a system called the ‘gut-brain axis’. This connection allows signals to move both ways, meaning your child’s gut can influence their mood, behaviour and cognitive abilities. On the other hand, how they feel emotionally can affect their digestion, as the brain affects how the gut functions (e.g., motility, secretion and permeability).² This may be observed when your toddler seems irritable or tired and at the same time experiencing stomach issues such as cramps.

When toddler gut health is balanced, the beneficial gut microbes help in better nutrient absorption, which in turn supports their energy levels.⁷ They also produce important chemicals (neurotransmitters) that influence moods and behaviour.

Signs of Poor Toddler Gut Health

Some common signs and symptoms indicating that your toddler’s gut health may be out of balance are as follows⁸:

• Abdominal cramps, gas or constipation
• Persistent Diarrhoea
• Poor appetite
• Vomiting
• Trouble falling or staying asleep
• Bouts of fever and generalized weakness
• Mood changes or irritability
• Skin problems like eczema

How to Support Toddler Gut Health

With the help of the following ways, you can help build your toddler’s gut health:

• Balanced diet: It is important to feed your toddler a healthy and nutritious diet rich in different nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats (DHA) and fiber.

To support a healthy microbiome in toddlers, include these foods in their diet:

1. Good source of fiber such as whole grain cereals, fruits and vegetables.
2. Nuts, seeds and fatty fish that are good sources of DHA. Research suggests that DHA aids brain development.⁹
3. Prebiotics that are food for the good bacteria. For example, bananas, onion ,garlic, oats etc
4. Probiotics that contain beneficial bacteria. For example, curd, yoghurt and buttermilk.

Restrict intake of processed foods and foods high in salt, fats and sugar, as these may disrupt the balance of gut bacteria.

• Consistent routines: Keep mealtime and sleep schedules consistent to sustain the natural circadian rhythm of the gut, thereby contributing to toddlers’ health.
• Physical activity: Encourage active play and movement in toddlers to promote healthy digestion, microbial diversity and stronger immunity.¹⁰

Conclusion

Early childhood is an important period for the development and maturation of the gut microbiome⁵. Prioritizing toddler gut health becomes vital for their overall growth and development. Incorporate a balanced diet in conjunction with aspects focusing on adequate sleep and physical activity. Additionally, nutritional drinks like Complan NutriGro can be included as a part of daily balanced nutrition.  Complan NutriGro contains 34 vital nutrients, including high quality protein, DHA, iron and calcium. It also includes probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12, which support gut health.

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*Growth and cognitive development are influenced by genetic, nutrition and environmental factors. Complan to be taken as a part of daily balanced diet.

*Refer Individual pack for mandatory regulatory & statutory information. Mnemonics are for creative visualization. ® Registered Trademark *Refers to outcome of a clinical study amongst 800 children over 12 months, published in Ind. J. Nutr. Dietet., (2008), 45, 449, 495 comparing kids who consume usual daily diet vs. kids who consume usual daily diet plus 2 recommended serves (2x33g) of complan. Protein in Complan is sourced from milk.

*DAIRY BASED BEVERAGE MIX (1.1.2) PROPRIETARY FOOD.