Impact of maternal diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding on infant metabolic programming: a prospective randomized controlled study

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of maternal diet and intensive dietary counselling during pregnancy and breastfeeding on the infant's metabolic status. Subjects/Methods: At the first trimester of pregnancy, 256 women were randomized into a control/placebo group and two dietary counselling groups (diet/probiotics and diet/placebo). The counselling, with double-blind randomization to probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis) or placebo, targeted excessive saturated fat and low fibre consumption. Maternal diet was evaluated repeatedly during pregnancy and postpartum by means of 3 days' food diaries. Metabolic markers, serum 32-33 split and intact proinsulin, leptin/adiponectin ratio, skinfold thickness and waist circumference were measured of 194 healthy infants at the age of 6 months, and the high levels were taken to mirror adverse metabolic status. Results: The proportion of infants with a high 32-33 split proinsulin was significantly lower in dietary counselling with probiotics (n ¼ 6/62, 9.7%) or placebo (n ¼ 7/69, 10.1%) compared with the control/placebo group (n ¼ 17/63, 27.0%). The high split proinsulin was associated with larger skinfold thickness, waist circumference and higher leptin/adiponectin ratio in the infants (Po0.05). With respect to maternal diet during pregnancy, the highest and lowest tertiles of fat intake increased the infant's risk of high split proinsulin, whereas those of butter associated correspondingly with the infant's waist circumference. Further, breastfed infants showed a reduced risk of high split proinsulin and leptin/adiponectin ratio compared with formula-fed infants. Conclusions: Modification of maternal diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding may benefit infant metabolic health. High split proinsulin reflects adverse metabolic status in infancy, which can be improved by early dietary counselling.

Maternal weight and excessive weight gain during pregnancy modify the immunomodulatory potential of breast milk

“…High prepregnancy BMI and excessive weight gain during pregnancy have previously been associated with aberrations in the composition of microbiota in the maternal gut (34) which acts as the inoculum for the development of microbiota in the infant gut. Here again, breast milk is recognized as the single most important postpartum element in metabolic and immunological programming of the child's health (35). We detected lower TGF-β and sCD14 in breast milk samples of overweight subjects as compared with those from normal-weight subjects.…”

Role of Breastfeeding in Preventing Long-Term Metabolic Disorders: Review

“…Грудное вскармливание, как известно, влияет на фор-мирование и развитие кишечной микрофлоры у младен-цев [54], а грудное молоко признается одним из наибо-лее важных факторов в послеродовом периоде, который модулирует метаболическое и иммунологическое про-граммирование и оказывает долгосрочное влияние на здоровье ребенка [55]. Последние работы открыли новые данные о формировании микробиоты в грудном молоке [56], подтверждающие, что факторы, связанные со здо-ровьем матери, могут влиять на состав и активность микрофлоры.…”

Elective Caesarean Section Is Associated with Low Adiponectin Levels in Cord Blood

“…The study subjects were consecutively selected from an ongoing nutritional intervention study involving 256 participants, as described in detail elsewhere [6]. The selection criteria for the present study were birth weight ≥2,500 g and gestational age ≥37 weeks.…”