News Releases & Research Results Dietary fiber intake during pregnancy promotes the development of metabolic functions in fetuses to render the offspring resistant to obesity after birth

The results of collaborative research conducted by Professor Ikuo Kimura and Specially Appointed Assistant Professor Junki Miyamoto of the Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Professor Koji Hase of Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy; Kyoto University; Keio University; Tokyo University of Agriculture; Okayama University; and Kobe University.

• The effects of maternal intestinal flora on fetal development and postnatal disease susceptibility were investigated in a mouse experiment.
• Short-chain fatty acids*, the end products of degradation of dietary fibers by maternal intestinal bacteria during pregnancy, were found to influence fetal development and promote the maturation of metabolic functions in the offspring after birth, thereby suppressing obesity.
  * Fatty acids with six or fewer carbons, mainly including acetic, propionic, and butyric acids, which serve as energy sources and substrates for lipogenesis.
• The results of the study should promote the development of preemptive and preventive medicine through maternal dietary intervention and nutritional management and drugs for metabolic diseases.

• This research project was conducted with the support of the Advanced Research and Development Programs for Medical Innovation (AMED-CREST) by AMED.

• The results of research were published in Science, an American scientific journal, on February 28.

Kimura I., et al. Maternal gut microbiota in pregnancy influences offspring metabolic phenotype in mice Science
DOI：10.1126/science.aaw8429