Effects of galactooligosaccharides on maternal gut microbiota, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism and inflammation in pregnancy: A randomized controlled pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundGut microbiota of pregnant women change with the gestational week. On the one hand, they participate in the metabolic adaptation of pregnant women. On the other hand, the abnormal composition of gut microbiota of pregnant women is more likely to suffer from gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Therefore, gut microbiota targeted treatment through dietary supplements is particularly important for prevention or treatment. Prebiotic supplements containing galactooligosaccharides (GOS) may be an intervention method, but the effect is still unclear.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of prebiotic intervention in healthy pregnant women during pregnancy, and to explore the possible effects of intervention on pregnant women and the influence on gut microbiota as preliminaries.MethodsAfter recruitment in first trimester, 52 pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive GOS intervention or placebo containing fructooligosaccharides. 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to detect the composition, diversity and differential flora of gut microbiota. Lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism and inflammatory factors during pregnancy were also analyzed.ResultsThe adverse symptoms of GOS intervention are mild and relatively safe. For pregnant women, there was no significant difference in the GDM incidence rates and gestational weight gain (GWG) in the GOS group compared with placebo (P > 0.05). Compared with the placebo group, the levels of FPG, TG, TC, HDL-C LDL-C, and IL-6 had no significant difference in GOS group (P > 0.05). For newborns, there was no significant difference between GOS group and placebo group in the following variables including gestational week, birth weight, birth length, head circumference, chest circumference, sex, and delivery mode (P > 0.05). And compared with the placebo group, the GOS group had a higher abundance of Paraprevotella and Dorea, but lower abundance of LachnospiraceaeUCG_001.ConclusionsGOS prebiotics appear to be safe and acceptable for the enrolled pregnancies. Although GOS intervention did not show the robust benefits on glucose and lipid metabolism. However, the intervention had a certain impact on the compostion of gut microbiota. GOS can be considered as a dietary supplement during pregnancy, and further clinical studies are needed to explore this in the future.

Oral probiotics increased the proportion of Treg, Tfr, and Breg cells to inhibit the inflammatory response and impede gestational diabetes mellitus

“…The study found that administering probiotic supplementation improved pregnancy outcomes and various glucose and lipid metabolism indicators, including insulin resistance. Wan performed an intervention involving 52 pregnant women, where galactooligosaccharides (GOS) were administered as a prebiotic supplement (Wan et al 2023 ). However, no significant benefits on glucose and lipid metabolism were observed.…”

Gestational Diabetes and the Gut Microbiota: Fibre and Polyphenol Supplementation as a Therapeutic Strategy

“…and hyperinsulinemia in pregnant women with obesity or overweight [95]. Furthermore, in healthy women, supplementation with galactooligosaccharides during pregnancy increased the abundance of Paraprevotella and Dorea, whereas the abundance of Lachnospiraceae was decreased, although these changes did not affect the incidence of GDM [82]. While these studies show that dietary fibre affects microbiota composition and metabolic responses in pregnancy, a limited number of studies have investigated the effect of dietary fibre supplementation on microbiota composition and diversity in women with GDM.…”

“…Furthermore, high dietary fibre intake has been associated with a reduced incidence of GDM, while low dietary intake has been associated with an increased risk of GDM [78][79][80][81]. While a study in healthy pregnant women failed to show beneficial effects of a galactooligosaccharide intervention on glucose and lipid metabolism [82], the modification of maternal diets to increase fibre content has been shown to improve glycemic control in women with GDM [83]. Discrepancies between the studies could be attributed to the different types and amount of fibre supplementation and may indicate that fibre supplementation as a therapeutic tool may need to be considered in the context of levels of baseline fibre intake [84].…”

The Role of Diet and Nutritional Interventions for the Infant Gut Microbiome

“…Only a few (but well-designed) studies evaluated the effect of prebiotics, mainly galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and long-chain fructooligosaccharides (lcFOS), on infant gut microbiota [51,63]. A placebo-controlled RCT of 52 pregnant women explored the possible effects of GOS supplementation on maternal intestinal microbiota, inflammation and energy pathway [64]. Individuals receiving GOS had an increased level of Paraprevotella and Dorea but less Lachnospiraceae compared to those in the placebo group [64].…”

“…A placebo-controlled RCT of 52 pregnant women explored the possible effects of GOS supplementation on maternal intestinal microbiota, inflammation and energy pathway [64]. Individuals receiving GOS had an increased level of Paraprevotella and Dorea but less Lachnospiraceae compared to those in the placebo group [64]. Another RCT found a positive correlation between maternal FOS intake and bifidobacterial count in the mothers but not in the neonates [65].…”