REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1590172
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Approaches to Nutrition Counseling in Pediatric Dietetics - Guidelines, Practices, and Future DirectionsView all 7 articles
The Role of Nutrition and Gut Microbiome in Childhood Brain Development and Behavior
Provisionally accepted
- Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, AL, United States
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The intricate relationship between nutrition, the gut microbiome, and brain development has garnered significant attention in recent years, concerning its implications for child behavior and cognitive function. The gut-brain axis mediates this relationship through microbial modulation of inflammation, neuroactive compounds, and blood-brain barrier integrity, particularly during prenatal and early postnatal periods. Healthy dietary patterns such as whole foods, high-fiber foods, and minimally processed foods play a crucial role in shaping the gut microbiota, promoting microbial diversity and overall gut health. As a result, a balanced and diverse microbiome supports healthy brain function and development. Furthermore, disruptions in gut microbiota composition have been linked to various neurodevelopmental disorders in children, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety. By integrating findings from animal models, clinical trials, and epidemiological studies, this review summarizes current advances on how early-life nutrition and gut microbiota interaction influence brain development and childhood behaviors. Ultimately, this paper underscores the potential for dietary interventions to promote optimal neurodevelopmental health and address behavioral issues in children.
Keywords: Brain Development, cognitive functions, Behavior, maternal nutrition, gut microbiome, bioactive compounds
Received: 09 Mar 2025; Accepted: 19 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jiang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yuanyuan Rose Li, Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, 35294-1170, AL, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.