Abstract
Research has amply demonstrated that early life dysbiosis of the gut microbiota influences the propensity to develop asthma. The influence of maternal nutrition on infant gut microbiota is therefore of growing interest. However, a handful of prospective studies have examined the role of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy in influencing the infant gut microbiota but did not assess whether this resulted in an increased risk of asthma later in life. The mechanisms involved in the process are also, thus far, poorly documented. There have also been few studies examining the effect of maternal dietary nutrient intake during lactation on the milk microbiota, the effect on the infant gut microbiota and, furthermore, the consequences for asthma development remain largely unknown. Therefore, the specific aim of this mini review is summarizing the current knowledge regarding the effect of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation on the infant gut microbiota composition, and whether it has implications for asthma development.
Highlights
Asthma is considered one of the most widespread chronic respiratory diseases of childhood, with hospitalization rates reportedly having increased for children under the age of 5 years over the last two decades [1]
It has become clear through findings from epidemiological studies and reviews that this link is conceivably influenced by a wide range of perinatal factors. These findings suggest that maternal asthma during pregnancy [18,23], pre-gestational body mass index (BMI) [23], delivery mode [6,16,19,20], breastfeeding mothers with a history of atopic conditions [19], maternal stress [19,22] and antibiotic exposure [6,19,21] are considered the main modifiers of the infant gut microbiota contributing to the development of asthma
A recent study [57] has demonstrated that maternal dietary nutrient intake influences the composition of milk microbiota, and such effect appears to be different between pregnancy and lactation
Summary
Asthma is considered one of the most widespread chronic respiratory diseases of childhood, with hospitalization rates reportedly having increased for children under the age of 5 years over the last two decades [1]. Diet is considered a major driver of the maternal gut microbiota changes [31] and in human studies, maternal dietary intake in gestation is associated with alterations in the offspring gut microbiota as well [32,33,34]. Further studies are needed to understand how maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation alter the infant gut microbiota, and whether this interaction increases the risk of asthma. This mini review aims to summarize the existing evidence demonstrating the effect of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation on the infant gut microbiota composition, and whether it influences asthma risk
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