Multi-strain probiotics during pregnancy in women with obesity influence infant gut microbiome development: results from a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study

ABSTRACT

Probiotics have been described to influence host health and prevent the risk of obesity by gut microbiome (GM) modulation. In a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled feasibility study, we investigated whether Vivomixx® multi-strain probiotics administered to 50 women with obesity during pregnancy altered the GM composition and perinatal health outcomes of their infants up to 9 months after birth. The mothers and infants were followed up with four visits after birth: at 3 d, and at 3, 6, and 9 months after delivery. The infants were monitored by anthropometric measurements, fecal sample analysis, and questionnaires regarding health and diet.

The study setup after birth was feasible, and the women and infants were willing to participate in additional study visits and collection of fecal samples during the 9-month follow-up. In total, 47 newborns were included for microbiome analysis.

Maternal prenatal Vivomixx® administration did not alter infant GM diversity nor differential abundance, and the probiotic strains were not vertically transferred. However, the infant GM exhibited a decreased prevalence of the obesity-associated genera, Collinsella, in the probiotic group and of the metabolic health-associated Akkermansia in the placebo group, indicating that indirect community-scale effects of Vivomixx® on the GM of the mothers could be transferred to the infant.

Moreover, 3 d after birth, the GM of the infant was influenced by mode of delivery and antibiotics administered during birth. Vaginally delivered infants had increased diversity and relative abundance of the metabolic health-associated Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides while having a decreased relative abundance of Enterococcus compared with infants delivered by cesarean section. Maternal antibiotic administration during birth resulted in a decreased relative abundance of Bifidobacteriumin the GM of the infants. In conclusion, this study observed potential effects on obesity-associated infant GM after maternal probiotic supplementation.

KEYWORDS:

• Obesity
• microbiome
• microbiota
• probiotics
• pregnancy
• newborn
• infant

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2024.2337968.

Acknowledgments

We wish to express our gratitude to all the women and their infants who participated in the study and to all midwives and other hospital staff who accommodated the study into their daily work functions. We also wish to thank laboratory staff at Statens Serum Institut for handling the samples. In addition, we wish to thank MD Liv Eline Hetland for help with illustration construction.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of this research, participants of this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data is not available. The data are available from the corresponding author, AMP, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The study was financed by grants from the following private foundations: Jeppe Juhls og hustru Ovita Juhls Mindelegat, Else og Mogens Wedell-Wedellborgs Fond, Aase og Ejnar Danielsens Fond, Knud og Edith Eriksens Mindefond, Toyota-Fonden Denmark, and Next Gen Pharma India Pvt. Ltd. The study was co-financed by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. All funding sources had no role in the study design, data collection, interpretation of analyses, writing of the manuscript, or decision to submit the publication. Both the probiotic and placebo capsules as well as half a year’s salary to the study were donated to Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre by Next Gen Pharma India Pvt. Ltd., National Capital Region, India.