Effects of Mediterranean diet or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction during pregnancy on maternal gut and vaginal microbiota: a subanalysis of the Improving Mothers for a better PrenAtal Care Trial BarCeloNa (IMPACT BCN) trial


Por: Selma-Royo M, Crispi F, Castro-Barquero S, Casas I, Larroya M, Genero M, Paules C, Benitez L, Youssef L, Pascal-Capdevila R, Encabo N, Nakaki A, Martín-Asuero A, Oller-Guzmán MT, Arranz A, Vieta E, Casas R, Estruch R, Gratacós E, Collado MC and Crovetto F

Publicada: 1 oct 2025 Ahead of Print: 1 oct 2025
Resumen:
Background: Despite the importance of gestation period for human health, studies addressing the impact of maternal microbiota on its progression and its modulation by maternal lifestyle are scarce. Although most of the evidence in the field comes from observational studies, we recently described how some lifestyle interventions during pregnancy reduced the small-for-gestational-age (SGA) incidence. We hypothesized the pregnant individual's microbiome modulation as potential mechanism by which lifestyle interventions could impact gestation progression. Objectives: The objectives of this study was to investigate the effect of pregnancy lifestyle interventions, based on a Mediterranean dietary pattern (MD) or Stress Reduction program (SR) that proved to be beneficial in reducing the SGA incidence, on the pregnant individuals' gut and vaginal microbiota as exploratory outcomes. Methods: In a random subsample (n = 351) from a trial including pregnancies randomly allocated into an MD intervention, an SR program, or nonintervention, maternal fecal/vaginal samples were collected at the end of the interventions, and in a subset (n = 85) also at recruitment. Microbiota was profiled by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Multivariate models evaluated the associations of microbiota with the interventions. Results: Mothers included in the study presented a similar gut microbiota profile before the intervention; pregnancy MD intervention influenced the overall structure of gut microbiota, (R2 = 0.008, F = 1.885, P = 0.002), which resulted in enrichment in Firmicutes phylum (Coeff = 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002, 0.118), related to the increment in health-associated taxa(Lachnospiraceae/Ruminococcaceae families) and other SCFA producers; and diminishment in Campylobacter genus (Coeff =-0.91, 95% CI: -1.361, -0.459). The link of the SR program with gut microbiota was more limited; however, some key components from these families were also affected. Microbial diversity of gut microbiota decreased as pregnancy progressed, with this effect more observable in the mothers that followed the interventions. The interventions have a negligible association with the vaginal microbiota. Conclusions: Pregnancy lifestyle interventions influence maternal gut microbiota. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov Identifier as NCT03166332. Clinical Trial Information: Date of Institutional Review Board approval and registration: 16 December 2016; 19 April 2017; Date of initial participant enrollment and date of first outcome (i.e., delivery of the pregnant individual enrolled): 1 February 2017; 10 May 2017.

Filiaciones:
Selma-Royo M:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

Crispi F:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

 Centre for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Madrid, Spain

:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Department of Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Boston, MA, USA

:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Barcelona, Spain

:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Barcelona, Spain

Paules C:
 Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IISAragon), Red de Salud Materno Infantil y del Desarrollo (SAMID), RETICS, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Zaragoza, Spain

:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

 Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Hospital Clinic/University of Barcelona Campus, Barcelona, Spain

Pascal-Capdevila R:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Barcelona, Spain

 Primary care interventions to prevent maternal and child chronic diseases of perinatal and developmental origin RD21/0012/0003, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain

:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Nakaki A:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

Martín-Asuero A:
 Instituto esMindfulness, Barcelona, Spain

Oller-Guzmán MT:
 Instituto esMindfulness, Barcelona, Spain

Arranz A:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Vieta E:
 Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic, Neuroscience Institute, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain

Casas R:
 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

 Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

 Institut de Recerca en Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentaria (INSA-UB). University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Department of Internal Medicine Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Estruch R:
 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

 Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

 Institut de Recerca en Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentaria (INSA-UB). University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Department of Internal Medicine Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Gratacós E:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain

 Centre for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Madrid, Spain

 Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Barcelona, Spain

Collado MC:
 Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), National Research Council, Agustin Escardino 7, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain

Crovetto F:
 BCNatal (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Barcelona, Spain

 Primary care interventions to prevent maternal and child chronic diseases of perinatal and developmental origin RD21/0012/0003, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
ISSN: 00029165





AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
Editorial
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, STE 800, 230 PARK AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10169, Estados Unidos America
Tipo de documento: Article
Volumen: 122 Número: 4
Páginas: 1121-1133
WOS Id: 001590360800025
ID de PubMed: 40759394
imagen Green Submitted, hybrid

MÉTRICAS