Children: stomach ache indicates later mental problems

Children who live in difficult conditions, suffer more from gastro-intestinal complaints. This could have an impact in the long term, because researchers at Columbia University have found that a change in intestinal flora can have effects on the brain and behavior, which affect later mental health.

The researchers examined 115 children from orphanages or foster families, who lived in the age of about two years prior to an Adoption under difficult conditions. More frequently than children who grew up with their parents, have you had any abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting and Nausea. An analysis of stool samples, brain scans and the behavior showed that children from orphanages or foster families Harbor different bacteria in their intestines than children who were raised by their parents. The activity in the brain regions that contribute to the regulation of emotions, with certain kinds of bacteria.

"A common reason why children are coming into doctor’s offices, Bauchweh", Nim Tottenham, a Professor of psychology at Columbia University, said. "Such symptoms could be for pediatricians a red Flag for future emotional health problems." For a long time, one knows the strong connection between the gut and the brain. Previous studies have shown that in up to half of adults with irritable bowel syndrome a Trauma or abuse history was reported twice as often as in patients without irritable bowel syndrome.

ZOU