The gut microbiota in undernutrition: A preliminary study Available to Purchase

Malnutrition in Indonesia is a problem that must be considered to achieve sustainable development goals in overcoming all forms of malnutrition. Paying attention to the health of gut microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract of people with malnutrition is one of the alternatives to resolve this problem. This study aimed to compare the abundance of gut microbiota in the normal rats and undernurished rats. This research was conducted with an experimental study. The rats were treated with a standard and low-calorie protein diet for six weeks. Afterward, the number of gut microbiota (Lactic Acid Bacteria and Enterobacter) were analyzed from stool samples. The study results showed that the number of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) in normal rats was more than in malnutrition rats. In contrast, Enterobacter in undernourished rats was higher than in normal rats. This suggests that consumption rates and diet influence the abundance of the gut microbiota. This suggests that the abundance of the gut microbiota is affected by food intake and nutritional status.