ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Gestational Weight Gain (GWG) impacts maternal and fetal health; deviations from optimal ranges pose health risks. Maternal lifestyle before and during pregnancy strongly influences GWG. This study explores factors linked to inadequate GWG, focusing on Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence and specific food consumption. SUBJECTS/METHODS: 178 pregnant women were enrolled at Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo (Pavia) during pre-hospital care before birth meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria. Sociodemographic data, pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG, MD adherence, physical activity (PA) levels, and smoking habits were retrospectively collected. Validated questionnaires adapted for the target group, assessed MD adherence and PA level. Participants were classified into adequate (AGWG) and inadequate GWG groups following IOM guidelines. RESULTS: Among 200 pregnant women (aged 30-36), 37.1% experienced low GWG and 24.1% excessive GWG. Our study revealed a significant association between inadequate GWG and educational level (P = 0.011); pre-pregnancy BMI (P = 0.005); MD adherence (P = 0.008), and daily average consumption of vegetables (P < 0.001). Our results also showed that a lower risk of EGWG vs. AGWG was associated with daily average consumption of vegetables (RRR = 0.279, P = 0.004), while a higher risk of EGWG vs. AGWG was associated with high daily meat product consumption (> 1.5 portions/day) (RRR = 7.83, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the importance of promoting lifestyle changes before and during pregnancy to tackle the increasing incidence of inadequate GWG and improve the health outcomes of both mother and child.
ABSTRACT
Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system. EDC exposure may contribute to the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases by impacting the composition of an infant's gut microbiota during the first 1000 days of life. To explore the relationship between maternal urinary levels of Bisphenol-A and phthalates (UHPLC-MS/MS), and the composition of the infant gut microbiota (16S rDNA) at age 12 months (T3) and, retrospectively, at birth (T0), 1 month (T1), and 6 months (T2), stool samples from 20 infants breastfed at least once a day were analyzed. Metataxonomic bacteria relative abundances were correlated with EDC values. Based on median Bisphenol-A levels, infants were assigned to the over-exposed group (O, n = 8) and the low-exposed group (B, n = 12). The B-group exhibited higher gut colonization of the Ruminococcus torques group genus and the O-group showed higher abundances of Erysipelatoclostridium and Bifidobacterium breve. Additionally, infants were stratified as high-risk (HR, n = 12) or low-risk (LR, n = 8) exposure to phthalates, based on the presence of at least three phthalates with concentrations exceeding the cohort median values; no differences were observed in gut microbiota composition. A retrospective analysis of gut microbiota (T0-T2) revealed a disparity in ß-diversity between the O-group and the B-group. Considering T0-T3, the Linear Discriminant Effect Size indicated differences in certain microbes between the O-group vs. the B-group and the HR-group vs. the LR-group. Our findings support the potential role of microbial communities as biomarkers for high EDC exposure levels. Nevertheless, further investigations are required to deeply investigate this issue.
ABSTRACT
Childhood obesity is a strong predictor of adult obesity with health and economic consequences for individuals and society. Adiposity rebound (AR) is a rise in the Body Mass Index occurring between 3 and 7 years. Early adiposity rebound (EAR) occurs at a median age of 2 years and predisposes to a later onset of obesity. Since obesity has been associated with intestinal dysbiosis, we hypothesize that EAR could be related to early microbiome changes due to maternal/lifestyle changes and environmental exposures, which can increase the unhealthy consequences of childhood obesity. LIMIT is a prospective cohort study that aims at identifying the longitudinal interplay between infant gut microbiome, infant/maternal lifestyle, and environmental variables, in children with EAR vs. AR. Methods. The study evaluated 272 mother-infant pairs, enrolled at an Italian neonatal unit, at different time points (T0, at delivery; T1, 1 month; T2, 6 months; T3, 12 months; T4, 24 months; T5, 36 months after birth). The variables that were collected include maternal/infant anthropometric measurements, lifestyle habits, maternal environmental endocrine disruptor exposure, as well as infant AR. The LIMIT results will provide the basis for early identification of those maternal and infant modifiable factors on which to act for an effective and personalized prevention of childhood obesity.