Functional food for pregnant, lactating women and in perinatal nutrition: a role for dietary fibres?
OBJECTIVE
If the benefits of dietary fibre in healthy adults have extensively been studied, little information is available on the specific needs of pregnant, lactating women or foetus. As far as infants are concerned, milk oligosaccharides are supposed to be the optimal 'dietary fibre'. The supplementation of infant formula with prebiotic oligosaccharides is still discussed. However, recent studies provide a large amount of information, allowing a new discussion on this topic.


RESULTS
Most recent findings are linked to the involvement of dietary fibre in occurrence or prevention of obesity. The multiple mechanisms appear more clearly than earlier. This finding will soon allow appropriate counselling for young mothers at risk of obesity and/or postpartum retention weight, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. Another area which benefits from recent research is the use of prebiotics in formula.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy is a critical period during which many physiologic changes occurred and is associated with several gut disorders and metabolic diseases. Dietary fibre may be helpful in the prevention and management of these diseases. Lactation and pregnancy are two phases during which food consumption of the mother can interact with the physiology of the baby. Moreover, the use of formula supplemented in oligosaccharides is able to compensate for the lack of some of the complex molecules naturally present in human milk.
Champ
Martine
M
INRA, UMR 1280, Physiologie des Adaptations Nutritionnelles, CRNH, CHU, Nantes, France. Martine.Champ@univ-nantes.fr
Hoebler
Christine
C
D001942:Breast Feeding; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D055951:Functional Food; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056692:Prebiotics; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
D004043:Dietary Fiber; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics