Maternal Prebiotic Ingestion Increased the Number of Fecal Bifidobacteria in Pregnant Women but Not in Their Neonates Aged One Month.

Shinji Jinno,Kentaro Masuda,Yuka Igoshi,Yoshitaka Nakamura,Taiji Nakano,Takayasu Arima,Yoichi Kohno,Naoko Ozawa,Naoki Shimojo,Takayuki Kubota,Yoshinori Morita,Fumiya Yamaide,Takayuki Toshimitsu,Shuichi Suzuki

doi:10.3390/nu9030196

Abstract

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) can selectively stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria. Here, we investigated the effect of maternal FOS ingestion on maternal and neonatal gut bifidobacteria. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we administered 8 g/day of FOS or sucrose to 84 women from the 26th week of gestation to one month after delivery. The bifidobacteria count was detected using quantitative PCR in maternal (26 and 36 weeks of gestation) and neonatal (one month after delivery) stools. Maternal stool frequency was recorded from 24 to 36 weeks of gestation. The number of fecal Bifidobacterium spp. and Bifidobacterium longum in the FOS group was significantly higher than that in the placebo group at 36 weeks of gestation (2.7 × 1010/g vs. 1.1 × 1010/g and 2.3 × 1010/g vs. 9.7 × 109/g). In their neonates, these numbers did not differ between the groups. Also, stool frequency in the FOS group was slightly higher than that in the placebo group two weeks after the intervention (1.0 vs. 0.8 times/day), suggesting a potential constipation alleviation effect. In conclusion, the maternal FOS ingestion showed a bifidogenic effect in pregnant women but not in their neonates.

Highlights

Bifidobacteria are the predominant commensal bacteria in neonates, and they colonize the neonatal gut immediately after birth [1]
To evaluate the bifidobacterial transfer in detail, we focused on Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) because it is the main species that inhabits both the infant and adult gut [1] and can multiply in both the maternal and neonatal gut by utilizing FOS or Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) [18,19]
The present study showed that the FOS-mediated increase in maternal fecal bifidobacteria did not affect the number of Bifidobacterium spp. in the feces of neonates aged one month

Summary

Introduction

Bifidobacteria are the predominant commensal bacteria in neonates, and they colonize the neonatal gut immediately after birth [1]. Recent studies have shown that one of the main sources of bifidobacteria is breast milk [9,10,11]. This gut microbiota influences host nutrition, provides a natural defense mechanism against invading pathogenic bacteria [12], and may determine the development of the infant’s immune system [13,14]. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are a type of prebiotics composed of 1-kestose, nystose, and 1F-ß-fructofuranosylnystose [16]. After ingestion, they enhance the growth of gut bifidobacteria in animals and humans [16]. FOS ingestion alleviates constipation [17]; little is known about the effect of maternal FOS ingestion on maternal and neonatal gut bifidobacteria

Methods

Results

Conclusion