Effect of mother's weight on infant's microbiota acquisition, composition, and activity during early infancy a prospective follow-up study initiated in early pregnancy

Background It has been reported that deviations in gut microbiota composition may predispose toward obesity and specific groups of commensal gut bacteria may harvest energy horn food mole efficiently than others Alter awns in microbiota compositions of mothers may be transferred to infants and lead to an increased risk of overweight Objective We analyzed the fecal microbiota composition of taints of overweight and normal weight mothers and assessed the relations of weight and excessive weight gun of mothers during pregnancy on the microbiota of infants Design Mothers (n = 161 whose prepregnancy body mass index (BMI in kg/m(2)) was >= 20 were selected with their infants from a prospective follow up study of 256 women Women with BMI <25 (n = 26) and then infants served as control subjects At the ages of 1 and 6 mo infant stool samples were available for the analysis of microbiota composition by fluorescence in situ hybridization combined with flow cytometry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction Results Infants' fecal microbial composition was related to the weight and weight gain of their mothers during pregnancy Fecal Bacteroides and Staphylococcus concentrations were significantly higher in infants of over weight mothers during the fist 6 mo Higher weights and BMIs of mothers were related to higher concentrations of Bacteroides, Clostridium and Staphylococcus and lower concentrations of the Bifidobacterium group Prevalences of Akkermansia muciniphila Staphylococcus and Clostridium difficile groups were lower in infants of normal weight mothers and of mothers with nor mal weight gains during pregnancy Conclusion The composition and development of infant gut micro biota ale influenced by BMI weight and weight gain of mothers during pregnancy Am J Clin Nutr 2010, 92 1023-30