Other Clinical Studies
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes for mother and infant. The use of lifestyle interventions to prevent GDM has proven difficult. The gut microflora influences host inflammatory pathways, glucose and lipid metabolism and, in other settings, alteration of the gut microflora has been shown to impact on these host responses. Probiotics are one way of altering the gut microflora.
Impact of maternal probiotic-supplemented dietary counselling on pregnancy outcome and prenatal and postnatal growth: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Br J Nutr. 2010 Jun;103(12):1792-9.
OBJECTIVES:The perinatal nutritional environment impacts upon the health and well-being of mother and child also in the long term. The results of the present study show that probiotic-supplemented perinatal dietary counselling could be a safe and cost-effective tool in addressing the metabolic epidemic. In view of the fact that birth size is a risk marker for later obesity, the present results are of significance for public health in demonstrating that this risk is modifiable.
Probiotics and dietary counselling contribute to glucose regulation during and after pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial.
Br J Nutr. 2009 Jun;101(11):1679-87
OBJECTIVES:Balanced glucose metabolism ensures optimal fetal growth with long-term health implications conferred on both mother and child. We examined whether supplementation of probiotics with dietary counselling affects glucose metabolism in normoglycaemic pregnant women. The present study demonstrated that improved blood glucose control can be achieved by dietary counselling with probiotics even in a normoglycaemic population and thus may provide potential novel means for the prophylactic and therapeutic management of glucose disorders.