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Maternal Nutritional Status and Infant Development

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition in Women".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 485

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology (Group of Nutrigenomics, Biomarkers and Risk Evaluation), University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain
2. Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07010 Palma, Spain
3. CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
Interests: breastfeeding; metabolic programming; maternal obesity; maternal nutrition; microRNAs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology (Nutrigenomics, Biomarkers and Risk Evaluation Group), University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain
2. Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma, Spain
3. CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
4. Alimentómica S.L. Camí de na Pontons, S/N (Pol.11, Parc 3), 07310 Campanet, Spain
Interests: perinatal nutrition; metabolic programming and regulation; obesity; diets; metabolic alterations; nutrigenomics; bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The prenatal and early postnatal periods have been revealed as critical stages of development where nutritional and other environmental factors may have a profound influence on health. Among other factors, maternal conditions during these critical stages of development can affect child growth and long-term health outcomes. Adequate maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation is essential not only for the optimal development of the fetus and infant, but also for the prevention of chronic diseases later in life.

In this Special Issue “Maternal Nutritional Status and Infant Development”, we welcome papers focusing on the link between maternal nutrition and infant development. This includes original animal and human research, cohort studies, and systematic reviews/meta-analyses. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the impact of maternal micronutrient deficiencies, the role of dietary patterns, and the influence of breastfeeding practices.

Understanding how maternal nutrition shapes infant health is crucial for designing effective interventions that can promote optimal development and prevent disease across generations.

We look forward to receiving innovative contributions that will help advance our knowledge in this important field.

Dr. Catalina Amadora Pomar
Dr. Mariona Palou
Guest Editors

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.

Keywords

  • infant development
  • gestation
  • lactation
  • maternal conditions
  • metabolic programming

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 3313 KiB  
Article
Maternal Obesity and Excessive Gestational Weight Gain Influence Endocannabinoid Levels in Human Milk Across Breastfeeding: Potential Implications for Offspring Development
by Tatiana F. Pontes, Gabriel Reis, Gustavo R. C. Santos, Henrique M. G. Pereira, Gilberto Kac, Ana L. L. Ferreira and Isis H. Trevenzoli
Nutrients 2025, 17(8), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17081344 - 14 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Endocannabinoids are endogenous bioactive lipids that promote neurodevelopment and positive energy balance. Increased levels of endocannabinoids are associated with obesity, but the effect of maternal obesity on breast milk endocannabinoids across lactation is mostly unknown. Methods: Women from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Endocannabinoids are endogenous bioactive lipids that promote neurodevelopment and positive energy balance. Increased levels of endocannabinoids are associated with obesity, but the effect of maternal obesity on breast milk endocannabinoids across lactation is mostly unknown. Methods: Women from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (n = 92) were followed from the third trimester of pregnancy to 119 days postpartum, and milk samples were analyzed in the postpartum days 2–8 (T1), 28–47 (T2), and 88–119 (T3). We assessed the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) by high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, leptin and insulin by immunoassay, and macronutrients by colorimetric assays in milk samples. Results: Milk AEA concentration was higher in T2 compared with T1 or T3, while 2-AG levels were higher in T2 and T3 compared with T1. Milk endocannabinoids were directly correlated with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG), and milk triglycerides. Triglyceride and leptin levels were higher in mature milk (T2 and T3) of women with BMI > 25 or excessive GWG. Adjusted linear regression models showed a positive association between excessive GWG and milk 2-AG (β = 1629; 95% CI: 467–2792; p = 0.008). Conclusions: The endocannabinoid levels are higher in mature milk from women with obesity or excessive GWG, which may impact offspring development and metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maternal Nutritional Status and Infant Development)
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