A healthy diet rich in fibre is generally recommended, but new research shows it could be even more important during pregnancy to promote the wellbeing of the mother and child.

Plant-based fibre is broken down in the gut by bacteria into factors that influence the immune system.

Researchers from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, the Barwon Infant Study from Deakin University, Monash University, James Cook University and the Australian National University collaborated to investigate the role of these metabolic products of gut bacteria during pregnancy.

Senior author of the study Professor Ralph Nanan said the simple recommendation to ‘eat real food, mostly plants, and not too much’ might be the most effective primary prevention strategy for some of the most serious conditions of our time.

“The mother’s gut bacteria and diet appear to be crucial to promoting a healthy pregnancy,” Professor Nanan, from the University of Sydney School of Medicine and Charles Perkins Centre, said.

Published today in Nature Communications, the study found that in humans, reduced levels of acetate, which is mainly produced by fibre fermentation in the gut, is associated with the common and serious pregnancy-related condition preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia occurs in up to 10 percent of pregnancies and is characterised by high blood pressure, protein in the urine and severe swelling in the mother.[…]

Source: Preeclampsia risk may be reduced by a healthy high-fibre diet – ScienceBlog.com