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Improving Mental Health for the Mother-Infant Dyad by Nutrition and the Maternal Gut Microbiome

Beatriz Peñalver Bernabé1, Lisa Tussing-Humphreys2, Hannah S Rackers3

  • 1Department of Surgery, Microbiome Center, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Division of Academic Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Institute for Health Research and Policy Cancer Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608, USA.

Gastroenterology Clinics of North America
|August 7, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) impact mothers and children, but treatments are scarce. Nutrition and gut health offer promising avenues for preventing and treating PMAD, enhancing maternal and child well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive medicine
  • Nutritional science
  • Microbiome research

Background:

  • Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) adversely affect maternal and infant health.
  • Current treatment options for PMAD are limited.
  • Maternal nutrition is critical for fetal development and maternal mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of PMAD.
  • To investigate the gut microbiota's influence on maternal mental health.
  • To highlight the potential of personalized nutrition strategies targeting the gut microbiome for PMAD.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review on nutrition, PMAD, and gut microbiota.
  • Analysis of existing research on maternal nutrition and mental health outcomes.
  • Exploration of mechanisms linking gut microbiota, nutrition, and neuropsychiatric development.

Main Results:

  • Adequate perinatal nutrition is vital for maternal mental health and child neurodevelopment.
  • The gut microbiota can be modulated by diet, influencing host health.
  • Targeting the gut microbiome through nutrition presents a novel approach for PMAD.

Conclusions:

  • Nutrition is a promising strategy for PMAD prevention and treatment.
  • Manipulating gut microbiota via nutrition may improve maternal and child mental health.
  • Personalized nutrition interventions hold potential for addressing PMAD.

Keywords:
AnxietyDepressionGut microbiomeNutritionPostpartumPregnancyStress

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