Grant: CIHR Fellowship

The gut influences our risk for developing obesity. Studies completed in animals show that diets high in fat during pregnancy negatively impact the offspring gut. This includes a change to the gut microbes, which can increase inflammation and allow more lipids through the gut and into the body for storage. It is not yet known how a high-fat diet in the mother affects the infant gut and storing of fat in humans. We hypothesize that mothers eating a high-fat diet will have increased inflammation which changes the infant gut and increases fat absorption and storage. Of 80 pregnant women, half will be provided with a low-fat diet (25% of total calories) from the second trimester to two weeks post-delivery. We will collect an infant stool sample when the baby is 1-2 weeks old and maternal blood at ~28 and 25 weeks of pregnancy. We will measure the infant gut microbes, inflammation in the mother and in the infant gut, and infant body fat. We will then test whether the diversity of bacteria and inflammation in the infant gut are related to how much fat an infant has, and how much the amount of fat is due to inflammation in the mother. Our work is novel and will for the first time use a rigorous study design in pregnancy to identify how the mother's diet can increase obesity risk in babies. It will be crucial in designing programs that can help minimize obesity in future generations.