Early-Life Nutrition and Microbiome Development
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2022) | Viewed by 36699
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20157 Milan, Italy
Interests: pregnancy; maternal nutrition; perinatal programming; intrauterine growth; placental diseases; maternal immunization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: microbiome; infant; nutrition; breastfeeding
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Environmental and nutritional exposures in early life have been strongly associated with short- and long-term health outcomes in humans. In particular, maternal adherence to healthy dietary patterns has been associated with adequate maternal adaptation to pregnancy, optimal placental function, and intrauterine growth and development, thus lowering the risk of pregnancy complications. Furthermore, the developmental model for the origins of disease underlines the role of the fetal environment in shaping later health risks and disease predisposition, both in childhood and adulthood. In this setting, the role of maternal microbiome and bacterial colonization of the newborn gut are essential in defining immune responses and predisposition to long-term chronic inflammation and diseases.
This Special Issue summarizes the key points concerning nutritional exposures and development of the microbiota from pregnancy to early infancy by focusing on:
- Maternal nutrition in pregnancy with short-and long-term health outcomes in the offspring;
- Association between maternal nutrition and maternal-neonatal microbiota;
- Maternal microbiome shift (oral, gut and vagina) during pregnancy and effects of dysbiosis;
- Beginning of in utero microbial colonization of adnexa and fetus (facts and hypothesis);
- Role of delivery and breastfeeding;
- Long-term health outcomes of microbiome alterations (immunological, endocrinological, neurodevelopmental);
- Microbiome changes in pathological neonates (preterm, IUGR) and potential for treatment.
Taken together, the findings strengthen the awareness that maternal nutrition and microbiota from preconception to the postnatal period may be a strong determinant of the offspring’s health. Critical topics to be addressed in future research and translated into recommendations of public health relevance are also highlighted.
Prof. Dr. Irene Cetin
Dr. Francesca Parisi
Guest Editors
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