Children facing food insecurity show distinct gut microbiomes

Food insecurity may leave a measurable biological signature in the gut microbiome of children, according to new research presented at ASM Microbe 2026.

The findings suggest that food insecurity may influence child health not only through nutrition, but also through biological changes in the gut microbiome."

Bineyam Taye, MPH, Ph.D., corresponding study author, Associate Professor of Biology and Global Public Health, Colgate University, New York

Food insecurity impacts hundreds of millions of people worldwide and remains especially common in low-income regions, including sub-Saharan Africa. Previous studies have primarily focused on nutritional deficiencies, growth and economic indicators, while relatively little research has examined the relationship between food insecurity and the gut microbiome in children from non-Western populations. Because the gut microbiome plays an important role in digestion, metabolism and immune function, understanding these associations may provide new insights into how environmental and nutritional stressors relate to child health.

The researchers conducted their new study to better understand whether food insecurity is associated with changes in the gut microbiome of children, particularly in underrepresented populations from sub-Saharan Africa. For their study, the investigators collected stool samples from Ethiopian schoolchildren and used DNA sequencing and statistical analyses to compare gut bacteria between children from food-secure and food-insecure households. "The work combined microbiome sequencing, statistical analysis and machine-learning approaches to investigate links between household food insecurity and gut microbial compositions," Taye said.

The researchers found that children living in food-insecure households had different gut microbiome profiles, including higher levels of Sutterella, a bacterium that has been previously linked to poor dietary quality and intestinal inflammation.

Taye said that future studies will examine whether these microbiome differences are linked to growth, immune function and long-term child health outcomes. "This study helps address the lack of research on the gut microbiome in low-income and non-Western populations," Taye said.