Diet Gut Microbiota Axis in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Recent Evidence

Abstract

Purpose of review: Although gut microbiota have been associated with the etiology of some diseases, the influence of foods on gut microbiota, especially among pregnant women, remains unclear. Hence, a systematic review was performed to investigate the association between diet and gut microbiota and their influence on metabolic health in pregnant women.

Recent findings: We performed the systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 protocol to investigate the association between diet and gut microbiota and their influence on metabolic role in pregnant women. Five databases were searched for relevant peer-reviewed articles published in English since 2011. Two-staged screening of 659 retrieved records resulted in the inclusion of 10 studies. The collated findings suggested associations between nutrient intakes and four key microbes: Collinsella, Lachnospira, Sutterella, Faecalibacterium, and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in pregnant women. Dietary intakes in pregnancy were found to modify the gut microbiota and positively influence the cell metabolism in pregnant women. This review, however, emphasizes the importance of conducting well-designed prospective cohorts to investigate the role of changes in dietary intakes within the pregnancy and the influence of such changes on gut microbiota.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Maternal nutrition; Metabolism; Metagenomics; Pregnancy.

Fig. 1

PRISMA 2020 flow chart detailing the study selection process

Fig. 2

The role of diet in modifying gut microbes and its impact on the health and well-being of pregnant women. The figure was created and edited from the images available on Canva.com using Pro Content License