"Pandemic Babies Show Healthier Gut Microbiome and Reduced Allergy Rates, Study Reveals"
Research suggests that babies born during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, known as "pandemic babies," have healthier guts and fewer food allergies due to factors such as lower infection rates, longer breastfeeding periods, and reduced antibiotic use during lockdowns. The study found that these babies developed more beneficial microbes from their mothers, which play a role in protecting against allergic diseases. Lifestyle and environmental factors, such as frequent antibiotic use, may contribute to the rise of allergic diseases, and the study plans to re-examine the children involved at five years of age to assess longer-term impacts on their gut microbiome.