Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-27-2022
Abstract
Obesity in pregnancy induces metabolic syndrome, low-grade inflammation, altered endocrine factors, placental function, and the maternal gut microbiome. All these factors impact fetal growth and development, including brain development. The lipid metabolic transporters of the maternal-fetal-placental unit are dysregulated in obesity. Consequently, the transport of essential long-chain PUFAs for fetal brain development is disturbed. The mother's gut microbiota is vital in maintaining postnatal energy homeostasis and maternal-fetal immune competence. Obesity during pregnancy changes the gut microbiota, affecting fetal brain development. Obesity in pregnancy can induce placental and intrauterine inflammation and thus influence the neurodevelopmental outcomes of the offspring. Several epidemiological studies observed an association between maternal obesity and adverse neurodevelopment. This review discusses the effects of maternal obesity and gut microbiota on fetal neurodevelopment outcomes. In addition, the possible mechanisms of the impacts of obesity and gut microbiota on fetal brain development are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Basak, S., Das, R. K., Banerjee, A., Paul, S., Pathak, S., & Duttaroy, A. K. (2022). Maternal Obesity and Gut Microbiota Are Associated with Fetal Brain Development. Nutrients, 14(21), 4515. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14214515
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Nutrients
DOI
10.3390/nu14214515
Comments
Student publication. Copyright © 2022 by the authors.