The study, published in the journal mBio, tracked 165 Norwegian children and found that the organisms detected in their gut at age two, ‘were highly predictive’ of which ones would have a BMI that qualified them as overweight or obese at the age of 12.
The study stated that: “One avenue for the prevention of obesity would be through early identification of individuals at high risk for development of obesity.
“Dietary or other interventions could be targeted to these individuals before they gain weight.”
The 33 children who did go on to become overweight did not have a higher BMI at the age of two than the others.
However, the study acknowledged that it could not show a causative link between the bacteria in the children’s guts and their obesity.