Microbiome and Malnutrition in Pregnancy

Summary

This study is being conducted to investigate how a mother's nutritional status and her gut microbiome during pregnancy contribute to the birth outcomes and health of her baby. The gut microbiome is the totality of microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, fungi) living in the gastrointestinal tract. This study will focus on pregnant women, 28 years and younger living in the Toronto and greater Toronto area. The focus is on younger women due to their vulnerability to undernutrition. Pregnant participants, and upon delivery, their newborns will be followed throughout pregnancy and for a year afterwards. Throughout this period, the investigators will collect stool samples, rectal swabs, blood samples, health assessments, nutritional and dietary assessments and birth/ labour details. The goal is to define the relationship between a mother's nutritional status and her microbiome dynamics during pregnancy and how they contribute to the birth outcomes and growth of her newborn. With the hypothesis that alterations of the microbiota in the maternal gut (dysbiosis) exacerbated by nutritional status or pathogen exposure during pregnancy, impacts weight gain because of impaired nutrient absorption, leading to corresponding negative birth outcomes.

Conditions

• Pregnancy Related
• Pregnancy Loss
• Pregnancy Complications
• Pregnancy; Parasitic Disease
• Microbial Colonization
• Microbial Disease
• Parasitic Disease
• Metabolomics
• Malnutrition
• Malnutrition, Infant
• Malnutrition Pregnancy
• Breast Feeding

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Unity Health Toronto

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Toronto

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Calgary

  collaborator OTHER

• Dalhousie University

  collaborator OTHER

• Aga Khan University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Alberta

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  collaborator NIH

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• The Hospital for Sick Children

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• John Parkinson, PHD · The Hospital for Sick Children

• Shazeen Suleman, MD · Unity Health Toronto

Eligibility

Max Age

28 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-02-22

Primary Completion

2027-03-31

Completion

2027-03-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations