Summary: Infant boys with a gut bacterial composition high in Bacteroidetes were found to have more advanced cognitive and language skills one year later compared to boys with lower levels of the bacteria.

Source: University of Alberta.

The University of Alberta-led research followed more than 400 infants from the CHILD Cohort Study (CHILD) at its Edmonton site. Boys with a gut bacterial composition that was high in the bacteria Bacteroidetes at one year of age were found to have more advanced cognition and language skills one year later. The finding was specific to male children.