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High-fiber diet mitigates maternal obesity-induced cognitive and social dysfunction in the offspring via gut-brain

Xiaoning Liu1, Xiang Li1, Bing Xia1

  • 1College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.

Cell Metabolism
|March 2, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Maternal obesity is linked to lower child cognition and social skills. A high-fiber diet may help by improving the gut microbiome and brain function, offering a potential intervention for these neurodevelopmental issues.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Microbiology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Maternal obesity is a growing concern linked to offspring neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Mechanisms and interventions for maternal obesity's impact on child neurodevelopment are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal obesity and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.
  • To explore the role of the gut microbiome and potential interventions in maternal obesity-induced neurodevelopmental deficits.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 778 children (aged 7-14) in China.
  • Mouse models of maternal obesity examining offspring behavior, gut microbiome, synaptic function, and microglial maturation.
  • Co-housing, fecal microbiota transplantation, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) administration.

Main Results:

  • Maternal obesity associated with lower child cognition and sociality.
  • Maternal obesity in mice altered offspring behavior and gut microbiome, which were restored by high-fiber diets.
  • Microbiota-gut-brain axis and SCFAs implicated in mediating behavioral deficits.

Conclusions:

  • The microbiota-metabolites-brain axis is a potential mechanism for maternal obesity-induced cognitive and social dysfunctions.
  • High dietary fiber intake presents a promising intervention strategy for mitigating these effects.

Keywords:
SCFAscognitive deficitsdietary fibergut microbiotamaternal obesityoffspringsocial behavioral deficits

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