An oral supplement that calms down your children, improves their intestinal health and mental well-being, and poses no side effects.

That may seem too good to be true, but researchers at Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) say they've developed just that following a decade of research into gut microbiome.

The supplement, named SCM06, is a form of synbiotics -- which combine beneficial bacteria called probiotics with fertilising fibres known as prebiotics.

According to CUHK's Faculty of Medicine, up to 5 percent of children in Hong Kong are affected by anxiety disorders, which put a strain on their daily lives.

One of the researchers was Professor Siew Ng, who revealed a link between gut health and brain function.

"We know the gut microbiome is like our second brain... It can influence the brain development, the mental health, and the psychological issues of human beings," she said.

"So with this in mind, we are able to show that by changing your gut microbiome to a beneficial state, you can actually improve the mental health and anxiety and depressive symptoms of people."

In the world's first clinical trial on this topic, an interdisciplinary team from CUHK Medicine studied the effects of synbiotics on 30 children aged 4 to 11 who displayed significant anxiety and sensory hypersensitivity - traits often associated with autism.

They gave the children a daily dose of SCM06, while tracking their symptoms through clinical assessments and analysed their stool samples to monitor changes in gut bacteria.

Psychiatrist Oscar Wong said the children have shown gradual improvements on their anxiety levels, which were down 20 percent after 12 weeks.

Their levels of sensory hypersensitivity and abdominal pain also saw reductions of 15 to 20 percent.

He said the supplement appeared to boost certain beneficial gut bacteria and raise levels of metabolites that support brain health.

"We did interview with some of the parents, and then they found that after taking the formula, some of the children could present with less irritable mood," he said.

"They reported that the child is more easy to be managed, they are more receptive to instruction, and then also their bowel openings seems to be more regular."

Researchers are now planning larger trials to explore how modulating the gut microbiome could tackle other developmental and neurological conditions, such as ADHD in children and even dementia.



Edited by Raymond Yeung