Covid-19 lockdowns had a big impact on health of newborns, study reveals

Lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic affected how the gut microbiome, a community of tiny organisms in our digestive system, developed in babies born during that time.

According to a study by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Children’s Health Ireland, and APC Microbiome Ireland, this microbiome is crucial for our health.

The study, published in Allergy, is the first to investigate the gut health of 351 newborns during the pandemic, revealing notable differences compared to babies born before the pandemic.

The research found that babies born during lockdown had different microbiome development and lower rates of allergic conditions, like food allergies.

The research found that babies born during lockdown had a different microbiome development and lower rates of allergic conditions, like food allergies. (Photo: Getty Images)

The researchers, part of a CORAL (Impact of CoronaVirus Pandemic on Allergic and Autoimmune Dysregulation in Infants Born During Lockdown) project collected data through online questionnaires about diet, home environment, and health.

Stool samples were collected at 6, 12, and 24 months, and allergy testing was conducted at 12 and 24 months.

This could be linked to the unique circumstances of lockdown, such as less infection and antibiotic use, and longer breastfeeding periods.

The newborns seemed to inherit beneficial microbes from their mothers, potentially protecting them from allergies.

Professor Jonathan Hourihane, Head of the Department of Paediatrics at RCSI, suggested that social isolation in early life might impact the gut microbiome.