The Influence of Pregnancy Nutrition and Dietary Patterns on Maternal and Offspring Health Outcomes

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue of Nutrients, we aim to bring together papers exploring the topic of nutrition and different diets or food consumption during preconception, pregnancy, and the postpartum period, especially considering how this may influence maternal health during and after pregnancy, as well as offspring-related outcomes. We invite comprehensive reviews, clinical trials, epidemiological analyses, and studies employing cell and animal models to further elucidate the relationship between dietary patterns and maternal and child health.

Healthy dietary patterns and micronutrient supplementation before and during pregnancy are essential for optimizing maternal and neonatal health outcomes, reducing the risk of some medical complications, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, and preventing neural tube defects like myelomeningocele. While foundational evidence links adequate nutrition to healthy fetal growth, reduced risk of obstetric complications, and optimal lactation, significant gaps remain in our understanding of specific dietary patterns, micronutrient needs, culturally appropriate interventions, and their effects on maternal cardiometabolic health, mental well-being, and infant development. Moreover, food access and culturally tailored nutritional guidance remain underexplored. We invite original research and reviews that advance the science of maternal nutrition.

Potential topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Micronutrient deficiencies in pregnancy: Prevalence, screening, and intervention strategies;
• Personalized nutrition approaches in pregnancy: Role of genomics and metabolomics;
• Dietary patterns and gestational diabetes risk: From prevention to postpartum transitions;
• Impact of maternal diet on infant microbiome and metabolic programming;
• Omega-3 fatty acids and perinatal mental health outcomes;
• Nutrition and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: Emerging evidence and gaps;
• Postpartum nutrition and lactation outcomes: Macronutrient adequacy and supplementation;
• Preconception nutrition and the risk of common obstetric complications;
• Intervention trials targeting prenatal and postnatal nutrition in high-risk populations;
• Community-based nutrition programs for pregnant and postpartum women;
• Nutrition counseling in prenatal care: Provider practices, training, and patient-centered models;
• Culturally tailored nutrition interventions in diverse pregnant populations;
• Food insecurity and access: Policy, access, and clinical integration;
• The role of technology and mobile apps in supporting nutrition during and after pregnancy;
• Our knowledge of nutrition in the fourth trimester.

This Special Issue offers a platform to highlight innovative interdisciplinary research addressing the vital role of nutrition during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We welcome submissions that span basic, clinical, translational, and public health domains. Our goal is to advance the science and practice of maternal nutrition and foster strategies that improve lifelong health for mothers and their children.

Dr. Anna Palatnik
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• pregnancy nutrition
• postpartum nutrition
• maternal and offspring health
• dietary patterns, micronutrients
• gestational complications
• personalized nutrition
• lactation