story to tell, such as how the latest meal went over or if the baby is
getting enough to drink. Scientists in Denmark wanted to know more about
what may cause people to develop diseases, so they, too, turned to the
diapers.
The researchers found 10,000 stories, in the form of viruses, many of which
had never before been identified.
“Specifically we are trying to decipher how having certain gut bacteria in
infancy can protect you from developing chronic disease later in life,”
said researcher Shiraz Shah describing the study.
Shah and his colleagues at the Copenhagen Prospective Studies for Asthma in
Childhood recruited mothers during pregnancy, who agreed to enroll their
babies in the study after birth. The diapers were collected when the babies
were 1 year old, and the children are now 12 years old. The diaper analysis
was the first step in the study, which has a long-term goal of identifying
causes of chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma, eczema, and
allergies.
