A Mediterranean-style diet, rich in fibre, vegetable proteins and healthy fats, benefits maternal health during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In addition to improving intestinal function and mucosal immunity, it also prevents fat accumulation and optimizes the composition of the microbiota in the digestive system. In babies, this maternal dietary pattern helps to reduce the incidence and severity of infections.
These conclusions come from two studies published in the journal eBioMedicine, carried out with the support of La Marató de TV3 (2017). The research was jointly led by Francisco José Pérez-Cano, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona and director of the Nutrition and Food Safety Research Institute (INSA-UB), based at the UB's Torribera Food Campus, and the expert M. Carmen Collado, from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC).
Led by researcher Karla Rio Aige (INSA-UB) as first author, the studies, coordinated globally by the UB, used data from the MAMI (Maternal Microbiome) cohort to identify relevant observations. Researchers also developed a preclinical model with animal models using the diets detected in the cohort with the aim of understanding the mechanisms of action involved.
Nutrition and mother-child health: many open questions
A balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle and habits are important for good health in pregnancy. Therefore, establishing optimal nutritional habits during pregnancy, lactation and early life is crucial for the health and well-being of mother and baby. However, the associated mechanisms linking maternal diet to maternal and infant health outcomes are still poorly understood.
María José Rodríguez Lagunas, a member of the project's research team and of the UB's Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, notes that understanding how maternal diet influences mother and infant physiology "is crucial, as its effects extend to short- and long-term outcomes for both mother and child." However, she adds that "there is a notable lack of research on the underlying mechanisms, particularly those that could improve the physiological recovery of the mother after childbirth".
The first study, at the preclinical level, compared the effects of two different diets during gestation and lactation on microbiota composition, immunity and lipid metabolism: the Mediterranean-like D1 diet, rich in fibre and vegetable protein, and a Western D2 diet, richer in animal protein and fats. During the nutritional intervention, various biological samples were analysed to see the effects of each diet on the epithelial barrier, lipid metabolism, microbiota composition, metabolites and immunity.
