The diet of future mothers could have an influence on the intestinal microbiota of the unborn child, especially when it is rich in fat.
Research is increasing in recent times to show the influence of microblogs, or intestinal flora, on our health, and in particular on our immune system. If the microbiota is personal, mothers also have a role to play in that of their offspring. This is confirmed by a team of researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine. Previous work has shown in primates that diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding can affect the gut microbiota for up to a year after birth. This study published in the review Genome Medicine this time focused on humans.
Scientists set out to determine if mom’s diet could influence the baby’s gut microbiota. They therefore collected questionnaires on the eating habits during the third trimester of pregnancy from 157 pregnant American women. They deduced from the responses the amounts of sugars, lipids and fibers ingested by future mothers. The recommendations recommend that fats represent 20 to 35% of the total diet. The group mean was 33%, with variability between 14% and 55%. The women were therefore classified into two groups according to their fat consumption (rather high or rather low).
Fat and bacteria
At birth, the baby’s first stool was analyzed to determine the bacterial species present. The study authors repeated the operation four to six weeks after giving birth. They found that the microbiota of babies whose mothers ate more fat were very different from those whose maternal diets were lower in fat. In particular, bacteria were present in lower numbers in the high-fat diet. This could affect the ability to extract energy from food, and affect the development of a child’s immune system. “This study shows the importance of taking maternal diet into account when studying the microbiota of newborns. However, further studies are needed to determine to what extent the mother’s diet can have a more or less long-term benefit impact on her baby, ”concludes Dr. Kjersti Aagaard, co-author of the study and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor Children’s Hospital. There is no doubt that future research will answer these questions in this promising field.
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