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Local prebiotic diets can prove to be a blessing, especially for children and pregnant women, said Ramadas Balamurugan from AIIMS Bhubaneswar on February 27, 2026, during a session of the Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2026 held in Nimli, Rajasthan.
Balamurugan, who studies disorders related to dysbiosis (imbalance of gut bacteria leading to health complications), spoke via video conferencing on the last day of the 3-day event.
Diets that include prebiotics (non-digestible food components that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria) and fermented foods (foods processed through controlled microbial growth that enhance beneficial bacteria) can balance gut bacteria in ways that help address nutritional deficiencies, according to Balamurugan.
The idea of improving gut bacteria, he said, came to him from soil biology research. When he began working on anaemia (a condition marked by low haemoglobin levels) and the microbiome (the community of microorganisms living in the body), his focus was on understanding the biology of malnutrition so that an effective intervention could be designed.
He and his team observed that microbial patterns in rural and tribal populations were completely different from those in cities. In anaemic individuals, there was a deficiency of Lactobacillus (a beneficial gut bacterium that supports digestion and immunity) and an imbalance of other helpful bacteria. At the same time, higher levels of Segmented Filamentous Bacteria (SFB) (a type of gut bacterium linked to immune activation and inflammation) were found. SFB is associated with mild inflammation (the body’s immune response to irritation or infection) and interferes with iron absorption (the process by which iron is taken into the bloodstream).
In the team’s study, pregnant women were given about 60 mg of iron daily for 180 days. The researchers found that only 10 per cent of the iron was absorbed. The rest reached the colon, where it promoted the growth of certain bacteria and remained trapped in the intestinal lining due to the enterocyte iron trap (a condition where iron gets stored within intestinal cells instead of entering circulation). This process explains why simply giving iron does not solve anaemia. Therefore, the researchers adopted the strategy of providing local prebiotics.
For children, they provided a prebiotic chocolate chip cookie, while pregnant women were given a local “Yog Banana Shake” and fermented rice water.
These measures improved mineral absorption in children, increased short-chain fatty acids, which are beneficial fatty acids produced by gut bacteria that support gut health and immunity. The balance of beneficial bacteria was also restored. Notably, consumption of the local Yog Banana Shake increased cross-linking and interaction between stool microbes (gut bacteria present in faeces) and breast milk microbes (beneficial bacteria transmitted through mother’s milk). In contrast, children who did not receive it showed lower microbial interaction and higher levels of some harmful bacteria.
Alongside this study, researchers also demonstrated that food diversity in India — such as spices, fermented foods, and high-fiber diets — influences the gut microbial environment. Additionally, research was conducted on the soil microbiome (the community of microorganisms present in soil) in agricultural areas. Through microbial interventions in paddy and tea plantation crops, plant health improved and yields increased.
The scientist concluded that this proves adopting traditional and local alternatives, rather than expensive supplements or foreign products, can be effective in reducing serious health problems like anaemia.
To access the proceedings and presentations of AAD 2026: