JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The early life gut microbiota are an important regulator of the biological pathways contributing towards the pathogenesis of non-communicable disease. It is unclear whether improvements to perinatal diet quality could alter the infant gut microbiota.

Objective:

To assess the efficacy of a perinatal educational dietary intervention in influencing gut microbiota in mothers and infants four weeks after birth.

Methods:

The ‘Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids’ randomized controlled trial aimed to recruit 90 pregnant women from Melbourne, Australia. At week 26 of gestation, women were randomized to receive dietary advice from their doctor (n=45), or additionally receive a dietary intervention (n=45). The intervention included an educational workshop and two support calls aiming to align participants’ diets with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and increase intakes of prebiotic and probiotic foods. The educational design focused on active learning and self-assessment. Behavior change techniques were used to support dietary adherence and the target behavior is ‘eating for the gut microbiota’. Exclusion criteria were ages under 18, diagnosed mental illnesses, obesity, diabetes mellitus, diagnosed bowel conditions, exclusion diets, illicit drug use, antibiotic use, pre/probiotic supplementation, and those lacking dietary autonomy. The primary outcome measure is a between-group difference in alpha diversity in infant stool collected four weeks after birth. Secondary outcomes include evaluating the efficacy of the intervention in influencing infant and maternal stool microbial composition and short chain fatty acid concentrations, epigenetic profile, and markers of inflammation and stress, as well as changes in maternal dietary intake and well-being. The study and intervention feasibility and acceptance will also be evaluated as secondary outcomes.

Results:

The study results are yet to be written. The first participant was enrolled on July 28, 2016 and the final follow-up assessment was completed on October 11, 2017.

Conclusions:

Data from this study will provide new insights regarding the ability of interventions targeting the perinatal diet to alter the maternal and infant gut microbiota. If this intervention is proven, our findings will support larger studies aiming to guide the assembly of gut microbiota in early life. Clinical Trial: https://www.anzctr.org.au, ACTRN12616000936426, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=370939, prospectively registered 14 July 2016.