A Pregnant Woman’s Diet Could Affect Her Baby’s Gut Bacteria, Study Suggests

Article & Link: A Pregnant Woman’s Diet Could Affect Her Baby’s Gut Bacteria, Study Suggests

Summary: A study was conducted profiling babies gut microbiome. There were some differences between the babies (some were delivered vaginally, some via c-section), which the researchers expected to have the greatest effect of the baby’s microbiome. However the mother’s diet seemed to affect what types of microbes were dominant in the baby’s gut microbiome.

Connections: We were just discussing the human microbiome in class last week, so I thought this article was interesting to read. In class we were talking about why children might have a different gut microbiome than their mothers, and this article did present a case for at least part of the reason why it would differ: the mother’s diet.

Critical Analysis: I found it interesting that this discussed what types of microbes were found in the baby’s gut. The article mentions how women who ate a greater amount of fruit had babies with higher abundance of Streptococcus and Clostridium while women who ate more processed meat had babies with higher abundance of Bifidobacterium. This article seemed to be doing a pretty good job not describing things inaccurately. The person wrote the article interviewed a microbiologist to reassure the audience the bacteria in the babies gut was normal. They also wrote about some of the differences between the babies, such as what percent were delivered vaginally and what percentage were breastfed, and how this could affect the results. Furthermore, the writer also pointed out that the study only took place in New England, and that further research in a wider variety of areas would be important. Another point I found interesting, is that the researchers thought that the delivery method would play a greater role in the baby’s gut microbiome. The one part of the article that was sort of misleading was the headline, because this was about babies that were already born, and seemed to mostly be about the mother’s diet after birth (not during pregnancy). Overall, however, I think this article introduced the idea of the gut microbiome and how the mother’s diet could affect her baby to a general audience pretty clearly and well.  

Question: What types of diet should a mother to have for her child to have an ideal gut microbiome?