The Influences of Oral Probiotics on the Immunometabolic Response During Pregnancy and Lactation: A Systematic Review.
- 2025-04-30
- Nutrients 17(9)
- Valentin Nicolae Varlas
- Laurențiu-Camil Bohîlțea
- Nicolae Suciu
- PubMed: 40362845
- DOI: 10.3390/nu17091535
Background/objectives
In recent years, due to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, probiotics have been increasingly used during pregnancy and lactation with real maternal-fetal benefits. Probiotic intervention, especially multi-strain probiotics, due to their anti-inflammatory, metabolic, and immunomodulatory actions, can be performed prophylactically and therapeutically with promising results regarding maternal, fetal, and neonatal health. The administration of probiotics can modulate the maternal microbiome, regulate microflora imbalance in various conditions (overweight/obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preeclampsia, allergic diseases), and influence several reactions such as modulating the non-specific cellular immune system, metabolic processes, and inhibition of pathogens. This study aimed to analyze, based on available data, how the administration of probiotic supplements to women during pregnancy can modify immunometabolic responses to microbial dysbiosis to limit weight gain and the risk of obesity, to improve glucose homeostasis and reduce the risk of GDM, to prevent preeclampsia and its effects on maternal-fetal outcomes, and to reduce rates of atopic eczema and allergic diseases in infants.Methods
We performed a systematic search in MEDLINE/PubMed to identify studies that have investigated the effects of probiotic intervention on the immunometabolic response in pregnancy and lactation, especially in women with diabetes, overweight/obesity, preeclampsia, and allergic conditions.Results
Fifty-six RCT studies, totaling 15,044 women, matched the inclusion criteria, of which eight were for interventions on the immune response, twenty on allergic conditions, seven on obesity and excess weight gain in pregnancy, and twenty-one on GDM.Conclusions
Due to the heterogeneous structure and the size of the samples, the methodologies, formulations, moment of initiation, and study durations, future research is needed to establish their effectiveness and safety in pregnancy and lactation regarding maternal-fetal health and outcomes in childhood and adult life.Research Insights
| Supplement | Health Outcome | Effect Type | Effect Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Improved Homeostasis | Beneficial | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Improved Immune Modulation | Beneficial | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Modulated Maternal Immune Response | Beneficial | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Reduced Allergic Diseases | Beneficial | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Reduced Infant Atopic Eczema and Allergic Disease | Beneficial | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Reduced Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus | Beneficial | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Reduced Risk of Preeclampsia | Beneficial | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Reduced Weight Gain | Beneficial | Small |