The Influence of Maternal Diet on Gut Microbiota Diversity During Pregnancy: A Mini-Review
Authors:   Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Posse Veronica , Gil Galleguillos Pamela ,   Universidad Pontificia de Chile, Santiago, Chile, Cubilhas Beatriz ,   Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Carvalho Raissa ,   Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil,   Botucatu Medical School - UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil, Baez Taciana ,   Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic, Cenci Giulia ,   Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, US, Vergara Ascenzo Carlos Alberto ,   NiuVida, centro especializado de reproducción asistida, Lima, Perú, Tavarez Cristy ,   Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic,   University of Arizona, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Tucson, Arizona, Martinez Felipe ,   Aché Laboratórios Farmacêuticos, São Paulo, Brazil, Peña Leo ,   Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santiago, Dominican Republic, Saa Diego ,   Hospital del Trabajador, Santiago, Chile, Donoso Martina ,   Centro Oftalmológico Dr Charles, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Shanchev Andrei ,   Kursk State Medical University, Kursk, Russia, Oyedele Saheed ,   Obafemi Awolowo University, Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, Amaro Katherine ,   Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santiago, Dominican Republic, Barros Marcos ,   Hospital Samaritano, São Paulo, Brazil, Barbosa Simone ,   Hospital Copa D’or, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Diaz Ana ,   Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santiago, Dominican Republic, Folorunso Sharif ,   Obafemi Awolowo University, Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, Gatilova Tatiana ,   Novorsibirsk Medical Dental Institute, Russia, Leite Patricia ,   Novo Nordisk, Pharmaceutical Company, Brazil, Mallen Niurkiss ,   Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic, Minatel Cinthia ,   Endocrinology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, Peng Jinhui ,   CareAlliance, Shanghai, China, Sakaya Gabriel ,   Clinica W&S, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Terrero Mery ,   Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic, Uribe Carolina ,   Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile, Yip Adela ,   Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Australia, Soto-Rodriguez Andrés ,   Research Unit, The Regenerative Medicine Institute, San Jose, Costa Rica
Published: January 2025

Background: The gut microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining health, influencing nutrient metabolism, immune function, and disease susceptibility. During pregnancy, maternal diet can significantly alter gut microbiota composition and diversity, potentially impacting maternal and fetal health.

Methods: This mini-review aims to answer whether maternal diet during pregnancy is associated with the composition and diversity of maternal gut microbiota. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases in May 2024. A risk of bias assessment was done. 

Results: Twenty articles were selected, including randomized controlled trials, cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies.  Which revealed that increased dietary fiber intake was consistently associated with higher gut microbiota richness and diversity. Conversely, high-fat diets were linked to reduced microbial diversity and pro-inflammatory profiles. Dietary interventions such as vegetarian and Mediterranean diets promoted a more diverse and beneficial gut microbiota composition.

Conclusion: Maternal diet during pregnancy is closely associated with changes in gut microbiota composition and diversity. These findings underscore the importance of dietary interventions in managing gut microbiota and improving pregnancy outcomes. Future research should focus on personalized nutrition strategies to optimize maternal and fetal health.

Key terms: Microbiome; Microbiota; Pregnant women; Diet; Dietary patterns.