Maternal Diet During Pregnancy and Offspring Health: Current Evidence on Dietary Patterns, Microbiota, and Developmental Programming
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Maternal nutrition is an important exogenous factor which, together with other factors, may play a fundamental role in ensuring the well-being of the pregnant woman and in the development of the offspring, with long-term effects on health. Therefore, this narrative review aims to synthesize current evidence on how maternal dietary patterns and nutrient intake during pregnancy affect maternal well-being, pregnancy outcomes, fetal growth, and the short- and long-term health of the child, while addressing research gaps, and implications for antenatal nutrition guidance. Literature Search Strategy and Study Selection: A comprehensive literature search was performed using the electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar. The selection and curation of articles were guided by the central research question: "How does maternal diet during pregnancy influence maternal health and offspring outcomes?" Results: The analysis of the literature reveals that the overall maternal dietary pattern is more important than the isolated intake of nutrients in determining the course of pregnancy and the long-term health of the offspring. Conclusions: The present review pointed out that maternal nutrition is not merely energy support for pregnancy, but a factor in fetal programming with a long-term impact on the child, in line with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept, and may act as an epigenetic and metabolic influence with potential…
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