Probiotic supplementation in pregnant women with obesity of little benefit to mothers, babies

In pregnant women with obesity, supplementation with multi-strain probiotics does not appear to have favourable effects on the metabolic or inflammatory biomarkers in mothers and on the body composition of their offspring, according to a study.

In the study, 50 pregnant women with obesity (pre-pregnancy body mass index [BMI] ≥30 and < 35 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to receive supplementation with either multi-strain probiotics (450 billion CFU/day) or placebo from 14–20 weeks of gestation until delivery.

All participants were evaluated during two predelivery visits at gestational week 27–30 and 36–37 and one postdelivery visit. During these visits, fasting blood samples were collected to determine levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), insulin, C-peptide, glucose, glucagon, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). At delivery, umbilical cord blood samples were obtained (GLP-1 and glucagon). At the postdelivery visit, the newborns underwent a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan.

All but one of the 50 participants completed the study, and 36 mother-offspring pairs underwent postdelivery examinations including a DXA scan. Compared with the placebo group, the probiotics group showed no significant changes in the measured biomarkers.

Furthermore, newborn body composition or GLP-1 and glucagon were comparable between the probiotics and placebo groups. GLP-1 measured in umbilical blood samples showed a positive correlation to fat percent in offspring from the probiotic group.