Progress in a birth cohort of maternal and infant nutrition/ health in China

Abstract

The first 1000 d from the beginning of pregnancy to the age of 2 years is widely recognized as a critical period in which optimum nutrition is the foundation for a healthy life. Increasing evidence has shown that early colonization of microbes in the infants gut, which is greatly affected by feeding type, delivery mode, antibiotics, and other environmental factors, is directly correlated with later chronic diseases. These diseases include obesity, diabetes, and allergic diseases. A birth cohort study is the preferred method to examine the relationships between multiple exposure factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes, birth defects, and health throughout life. There have been nearly 100 large-scale birth cohort studies in the United States and Europe for forming dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for children. However, childrens DRIs in China rely on WHO survey data from populations of Europe and the United States. Therefore, there is a critical requirement for population-based, prospective cohort studies in China to clarify the effects of early nutrition on later life. The China maternal and infant nutrition health cohort (MINC) study was a cross-sectional, prospective birth cohort that was launched by the National Engineering Center of Dairy for Maternal & Child Health in 2014. This study focused on the effect of early dietary nutrition, feeding and dietary habits on the gut microbiome, and short- and long-term health of infants. The objectives of this study were to investigate the determinants of adult non-infectious disease and the DRIs for mothers and children. In this cohort, a total of 5200 parent–infant pairs will be recruited from 11 provinces and regions in China, and be followed up to 2 years postpartum for mothers and to 18 years for infants. Between December 2014 and December 2017, 1745 people from the six cities of Beijing, Luoyang, Tangshan, Qianan, Liuyang, and Suzhou, including 157 pregnant women, 805 mothers, and 783 newborns, were recruited for the MINC study. Various data, such as demographic, obstetric, occupational, nutritional, medical, and neuropsychological factors, were collected by interviews and laboratory tests. A total of 20057 biological samples were collected, including breast milk, stool, urine, and saliva samples. Researchers have already analyzed nearly 3000 milk samples from the MINC study, where hundreds of components were determined, such as macronutrients, whey protein, amino acids, fatty acids, milk fat globule membrane proteins, and oligosaccharides. A relatively complete database of Chinese breast milk nutrition was established from colostrum and transitional milk to mature milk of 12 months. The MINC study will continue to recruit mothers and their newborns from other cities, and the cohort will be followed up for 2–18 years. Appropriate intervention strategies will be proposed based on the findings generated from this cohort study.