Maternal Microbiome and Metabolic Health Program Microbiome Development and Health of the Offspring

Maternal nutritional, metabolic, and physiological states, as well as exposure to various environmental factors during conception, gestation, and lactation, have a fundamental role in the health programming of the offspring. Therefore, alterations affecting the maternal microbiota might indirectly influence fetal development. In addition, such alterations could be transmitted to the progeny at different stages of infant development (e.g., preconception, prenatal, or postnatal), thereby favoring the development of an altered microbiota in the neonate. Microbial changes of this kind have been linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including obesity and metabolic syndrome, allergy-related problems, and diabetes. In this review, we summarize the relevance of the maternal microbiota to fetal-neonatal health programming, with a focus on maternal nutritional and metabolic states.