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The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 January 2022) | Viewed by 29916

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cinzia Myriam Calabrese

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Guest Editor

BioMedLab, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
Interests: human nutrition; microbiota; internal medicine; metabolic disease

Dr. Annalisa Terranegra

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

Maternal and Child Health Program, Research Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
Interests: human nutrition; nutri-epigenetics; microbiota; host–microbe interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A poor diet during the preconception period and pregnancy can cause deficiencies in nutrients, impacting on the gene pathways involved in metabolism, immune system, angiogenesis, and other pathways and leading to infertility, pregnancy complications (i.e., gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, preterm birth, etc.), and the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in adult life.

Recent advances in multi-omics technologies open new routes to discover the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of nutrients in fertility and pregnancy complications. The use of multiple omics technologies, such as transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, epigenomics, and metagenomics, is playing a vital role in the science of precision nutrition, which aims to understand individual responses and tailor personalized dietary interventions.

The study of the microbiota already shed light on the microbial dysbiosis caused by an unbalanced diet and its link with pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes and preterm birth, among others. Similarly, perturbations in gene regulation and function are known to be affected by specific nutrients (i.e., vitamins, methyl-donors, etc.) during both the preconception and pregnancy period. Finally, the development of childhood and adult NCD has been associated with environmental factors starting from intrauterine life. Parental health status and poor nutrition are widely recognized as implicated in the onset of childhood and adult diseases in general and most probably, epigenetic mechanisms underlie this phenomena.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect the most recent evidence on the role of nutrition in reproductive health and pregnancy applying multi-omics technologies, with the final goal to develop personalized nutrition approaches able to reduce the burden of infertility, pregnancy complications, and offspring NCDs.

Any type of paper can contribute, discussing the following topics:

Diet and nutritional status in the preconception period;
Diet and nutritional status in pregnancy and the mother–baby axis;
The advantage of using multi-omics technologies for defining the molecular signature of fertility and pregnancy complications;
Personalized nutrition: new perspectives in diet management of infertility, pregnancy complications, and offspring NCDs.

Dr. Cinzia Myriam Calabrese
Dr. Annalisa Terranegra
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

Precision Nutrition
Microbiota
Epigenetics
Infertility
Pregnancy complications
Mother–baby axis

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 185 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy

by Fatima Ahmad, Cinzia Myriam Calabrese and Annalisa Terranegra

Nutrients 2023, 15(14), 3128; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15143128 - 13 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1312

Abstract

When it comes to reproductive health, various lifestyle habits can act as major contributors to either an optimized or worsened scenario of female and male fertility [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy)

Research

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10 pages, 264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Living with Overweight, Rather than a History of Gestational Diabetes, Influences Dietary Quality and Physical Activity during Pregnancy

by Ella Muhli, Ella Koivuniemi and Kirsi Laitinen

Nutrients 2022, 14(3), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030651 - 3 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1806

Abstract

(1) Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend dietary and physical activity counselling for pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which a history of GDM and living with overweight before pregnancy modify dietary quality and physical activity during pregnancy. (2) Methods: The study is a cross-sectional study of 1034 pregnant women from different parts of Finland. The data were collected through electronic questionnaires. Dietary quality and physical activity were measured with stand-alone indices and compared according to the history of GDM and overweight status based on body mass index (BMI) category. (3) Results: Overall, 53% of the women had a poor dietary quality (Index of Diet Quality (IDQ) score < 10) and 45% a light physical activity level. The IDQ score or physical activity levels did not differ between women with and without a history of GDM. Instead, in women with overweight/obesity both the IDQ score and physical activity levels were lower compared to their normal-weight counterparts (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Pregnant women, particularly if living with overweight, commonly have a poor dietary quality and a light level of physical activity. A history of GDM is not reflected in the lifestyle habits, despite the assumption that they have received lifestyle counselling during a previous pregnancy. Pregnant women would benefit from new means to promote healthy lifestyle changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy)

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19 pages, 8649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maturation of the Visceral (Gut-Adipose-Liver) Network in Response to the Weaning Reaction versus Adult Age and Impact of Maternal High-Fat Diet

by Maria Angela Guzzardi, Federica La Rosa, Daniela Campani, Andrea Cacciato Insilla, Vincenzo De Sena, Daniele Panetta, Maurizia Rossana Brunetto, Ferruccio Bonino, Maria Carmen Collado and Patricia Iozzo

Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3438; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103438 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2413

Abstract

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease is a major cause of chronic pathologies, of which maternal obesity is a frequent risk factor. Gut wall and microbiota, visceral fat, and liver form a pre-systemic network for substrates and pro-inflammatory factors entering the body, undergoing accelerated maturation in early-life when the weaning reaction, i.e., a transitory inflammatory condition, affects lifelong health. We aimed to characterize organ metabolism in the above network, in relation to weaning reaction and maternal obesity. Weaning or 6-months-old offspring of high-fat-diet and normal-diet fed dams underwent in vivo imaging of pre-/post-systemic glucose uptake and tissue radiodensity in the liver, visceral fat, and intestine, a liver histology, and microbiota and metabolic pathway analyses. Weaning mice showed the dominance of gut Clostridia and Bacteroidia members, overexpressing pathways of tissue replication and inflammation; adulthood increased proneness to steatohepatitis, and Desulfovibrio and RF39 bacteria, and lipopolysaccharide, bile acid, glycosaminoglycan, and sphingolipid metabolic pathways. In vivo imaging could track organ maturation, liver inflammation, and protective responses. A maternal high-fat diet amplified the weaning reaction, elevating liver glucose uptake, triglyceride levels, and steatohepatitis susceptibility along the lifespan. The visceral network establishes a balance between metabolism and inflammation, with clear imaging biomarkers, and crucial modulation in the weaning time window. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy)

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16 pages, 4270 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Nutripedia: The Fight against the Fake News in Nutrition during Pregnancy and Early Life

by Elvira Verduci, Sara Vizzuso, Armanda Frassinetti, Lisa Mariotti, Alberico Del Torto, Giulia Fiore, Annamaria Marconi and Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti

Nutrients 2021, 13(9), 2998; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13092998 - 28 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4219

Abstract

(1) Background. Early nutrition and lifestyle before and during pregnancy, breastfeeding, infancy, and early childhood can affect the risk of developing common non-communicable diseases during adulthood such as obesity and metabolic syndrome. To support positive long-term outcomes, it is essential to debunk fake news and provide evidence-based nutritional recommendations. “Nutripedia-Informati per Crescere” is a new tool delivering information and education on appropriate nutrition of mothers and babies during pregnancy and the first years of life. (2) Methods. Nutripedia provides the readers with evidence-based scientific contents in an easy-to-access fashion through a website, a social media page and a personalized advice app called “Nutripedia Chatbot”. (3) Results. Forty articles were published on Nutripedia website with more than 220,000 total views. Social channel activation via bloggers reached over 9 million parents. 14,698 users downloaded Nutripedia chatbot, through which a total of 1930 questions were directed to experts while over 24,000 responses were provided by the app. (4) Conclusions. The use of different communication tools delivering evidence-based nutritional information such as Nutripedia is increasing and could offer supportive strategies to provide scientific information to large audiences and contribute fighting fake news. Future research could investigate the effectiveness of this important health campaign. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy)

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Review

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41 pages, 1228 KiB

Open AccessReview

Personalized Nutrition in the Management of Female Infertility: New Insights on Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation

by Gemma Fabozzi, Giulia Verdone, Mariachiara Allori, Danilo Cimadomo, Carla Tatone, Liborio Stuppia, Marica Franzago, Nicolò Ubaldi, Alberto Vaiarelli, Filippo Maria Ubaldi, Laura Rienzi and Gianluca Gennarelli

Nutrients 2022, 14(9), 1918; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091918 - 3 May 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 10247

Abstract

Increasing evidence on the significance of nutrition in reproduction is emerging from both animal and human studies, suggesting a mutual association between nutrition and female fertility. Different “fertile” dietary patterns have been studied; however, in humans, conflicting results or weak correlations are often reported, probably because of the individual variations in genome, proteome, metabolome, and microbiome and the extent of exposure to different environmental conditions. In this scenario, “precision nutrition”, namely personalized dietary patterns based on deep phenotyping and on metabolomics, microbiome, and nutrigenetics of each case, might be more efficient for infertile patients than applying a generic nutritional approach. In this review, we report on new insights into the nutritional management of infertile patients, discussing the main nutrigenetic, nutrigenomic, and microbiomic aspects that should be investigated to achieve effective personalized nutritional interventions. Specifically, we will focus on the management of low-grade chronic inflammation, which is associated with several infertility-related diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy)

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6 pages, 329 KiB

Open AccessReview

Creatine as a Promising Component of Paternal Preconception Diet

by Sergej M. Ostojic, Tonje Holte Stea and Dagrun Engeset

Nutrients 2022, 14(3), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030586 - 28 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6415

Abstract

Male fertility has been declining globally over the past several decades, advancing from a personal issue to a public health problem. Beyond any doubt, a reduction in fertility (often characterized by low sperm count or motility) can severely threaten reproductive health and lifecourse framework in a long-term fashion. Aside from uncovering the currently unknown etiology of modern-day male infertility, the scientific and medical community faces a double burden: finding an efficient biomarker of impaired fertility and exploring any intervention that can act to enhance fertility. A plethora of nutritional compounds have been recognized as possible modulators of semen quality, and specific dietary patterns and nutrients appear to be accompanied by a lower risk of male infertility. Creatine, a conditionally essential nutrient, has caught attention as a male fertility-promoting candidate due to its role in sperm energy metabolism. This mini-review describes the creatine-related bioenergetics of spermatozoa, explores a connection between creatine levels and sperm quality in men, and critically examines available evidence for interventional studies with creatine to affect sperm viability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy)

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10 pages, 292 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cytotoxic Lactalbumin-Oleic Acid Complexes in the Human Milk Diet of Preterm Infants

by Katherine E. Chetta, Joseph L. Alcorn, John E. Baatz and Carol L. Wagner

Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4336; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124336 - 30 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2159

Abstract

Frozen storage is necessary to preserve expressed human milk for critically ill and very preterm infants. Milk pasteurization is essential for donor milk given to this special population. Due to these storage and processing conditions, subtle changes occur in milk nutrients. These changes may have clinical implications. Potentially, bioactive complexes of unknown significance could be found in human milk given to preterm infants. One such complex, a cytotoxic α-lactalbumin-oleic acid complex named “HAMLET,” (Human Alpha-Lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumor cells) is a folding variant of alpha-lactalbumin that is bound to oleic acid. This complex, isolated from human milk casein, has specific toxicity to both carcinogenic cell lines and immature non-transformed cells. Both HAMLET and free oleic acid trigger similar apoptotic mechanisms in tissue and stimulate inflammation via the NF-κB and MAPK p38 signaling pathways. This protein-lipid complex could potentially trigger various inflammatory pathways with unknown consequences, especially in immature intestinal tissues. The very preterm population is dependent on human milk as a medicinal and broadly bioactive nutriment. Therefore, HAMLET’s possible presence and bioactive role in milk should be addressed in neonatal research. Through a pediatric lens, HAMLET’s discovery, formation and bioactive benefits will be reviewed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Era of Precision Nutrition in the Field of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy)

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