In a study, scientists compared the microbiomes of poorly nourished and well nourished infants and young children. Gut microbes were isolated from faecal samples of malnourished and healthy children. The microbiome was "immature" and less diverse in malnourished children compared to the better developed "mature" microbiome found in healthy children of the same age. According to some studies, the chemical composition of mother's milk has shown the presence of a modified sugar (salivated Oligosaccharides). This is not utilized by the baby for its own nutrition However, the bacteria constituting the infant's microbiome thrive on this sugar which serves as their food. Malnourished, mothers have low levels of this sugar in their milk. Consequently, the microbiomes of their infants fail to mature. That in turn, leads to malnourished babies.
On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Assumption 2 is valid. The passage explicitly states that "Malnourished mothers have low levels of this sugar in their milk. Consequently, the microbiomes of their infants fail to mature. That in turn, leads to malnourished babies." This establishes a direct causal link, indicating that infants of malnourished mothers are prone to malnutrition due to the impact on their gut microbiome development.
Assumption 1 is not valid. The passage describes the problem of immature gut microbiomes in malnourished children and links it to the absence of a specific sugar in the mother's milk. However, it does not mention or propose processed probiotic foods as a solution or treatment for this condition. Therefore, making an assumption about the efficacy of probiotic foods based solely on this passage is unwarranted.