Child’s Weight May Be Beneficially Influenced Before Birth

In that the perinatal nutritional environment influences the health and well-being of both mother and child, Raakel Luoto, from University of Turku (Finland) studied the safety and efficacy of perinatal supplementation with probiotics, live organisms that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines.  The researchers enrolled 256 women during their first trimester of pregnancy and randomly assigned to a control group, or an group that received intensive dietary counselling provided by a nutritionist. The women in the dietary counselling group were further randomised to receive supplements containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 or placebo. At the conclusion of the study, the team found the number of cases of gestational diabetes was reduced in the probiotic group (affecting 13% of the pregnant women), as compared to the diet-placebo group (36% affected) and the control group (34% affected).  Interestingly, in those women affected by gestational diabetes, the dietary intervention was found to independently diminish the risk of larger birth size in the infants. With  no adverse events reported, and no negative effect on the duration of pregnancies, the researchers conclude that: “The results of the present study show that probiotic-supplemented perinatal dietary counselling could be a safe and cost-effective tool in addressing the metabolic epidemic. In view of the fact that birth size is a risk marker for later obesity, the present results are of significance for public health in demonstrating that this risk is modifiable.”