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Nutrients
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Diet, Maternal Nutrition and Reproductive Health
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Diet, Maternal Nutrition and Reproductive Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition in Women".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2025 | Viewed by 5066

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Angela Vinturache

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
2. Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Interests: obesity in pregnancy; gestational diabetes; nutrition in pregnancy; gestational weight gain; pregnancy outcomes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diet and nutrition play an essential role in reproductive health. A healthy, balanced diet that provides all the necessary nutrients combined with an adequate lifestyle help to maintain optimal reproductive health in both men and women, as well as to improve fertility and the chances of the conception of a healthy pregnancy. Furthermore, women's nutritional status and lifestyle prior and during pregnancy is paramount for the development and growth of the offspring and pregnancy health. This Special Issue aims to publish a variety of manuscript formats that include reviews, editorials, opinions, original research, and experts’ opinions on all aspects of reproductive health, including fertility, menopause, and pregnancy from preconception to pregnancy and delivery. We invite papers with focuses on diet, nutrition, and lifestyle recommendations for a healthy reproductive function and pregnancy. We also invite papers which investigate the role of nutrition and lifestyle in gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and other pregnancy complications, as well as in infertility, PCOS, and endometriosis. Articles examining the role of substance use in reproductive function will also be considered.

We would consider qualitative and quantitative research of everyday situations, questions, and challenges that men and women face in attempting to maintain healthy nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Examining such questions could provide answers to aid healthcare professionals in the nutrition-based counselling during reproductive life.

Dr. Angela Vinturache
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrition
  • lifestyle
  • diet
  • weight
  • BMI
  • obesity
  • reproductive health
  • fertility
  • infertility
  • pregnancy
  • menopause

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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11 pages, 3006 KiB  
Article
Socio-Demographic Determinant Factors for Serum Iron, Copper, Zinc, and Selenium Concentrations Among U.S. Women of Childbearing Age
by Anqi Peng, Peipei Hu, Chutian Shi, Angela Vinturache, Guodong Ding and Yongjun Zhang
Nutrients 2024, 16(23), 4243; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234243 - 9 Dec 2024
Viewed by 756
Abstract
Background: Trace elements (TEs) are essential nutrients for the human body and have a significant impact on fertility and hormone levels in women of reproductive age, underscoring the importance of understanding sociodemographic variations in their concentrations within this population. Objective: To investigate the [...] Read more.
Background: Trace elements (TEs) are essential nutrients for the human body and have a significant impact on fertility and hormone levels in women of reproductive age, underscoring the importance of understanding sociodemographic variations in their concentrations within this population. Objective: To investigate the socio-demographic factors influencing blood concentrations of four essential TEs, including iron, zinc, copper, and selenium among women of reproductive age. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of women aged 20–44 years was performed using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2018. Serum iron data were analyzed for 9211 women across 10 cycles, while serum copper, zinc, and selenium data were available for 1027 women across 3 cycles. Generalized linear and logistic regressions examined the individual associations of socio-demographic factors, including age, race and ethnicity, education, and poverty index ratio, with iron, zinc, copper, and selenium concentrations treated as continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively. A qualitative heatmap explored the joint associations between the socio-demographic factors and the four essential TEs. Results: Reduced iron concentrations and increased risks of insufficiency occurred in older, Black, low-education, or low-income women. Black women were more likely to have lower zinc and selenium concentrations and an increased risk of zinc insufficiency but higher copper concentrations. The qualitative heatmap found that older, Black, low-education, and low-income women generally had lower concentrations of the four TEs, particularly iron (β = −0.10; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Socially disadvantaged women are more likely to present with lower TE concentrations, and these specific population groups should be targeted by replenishment planning by public health initiatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Maternal Nutrition and Reproductive Health)
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20 pages, 4439 KiB  
Article
Spatial Transcriptomics and Single-Nucleus Multi-Omics Analysis Revealing the Impact of High Maternal Folic Acid Supplementation on Offspring Brain Development
by Xiguang Xu, Yu Lin, Liduo Yin, Priscila da Silva Serpa, Benjamin Conacher, Christina Pacholec, Francisco Carvallo, Terry Hrubec, Shannon Farris, Kurt Zimmerman, Xiaobin Wang and Hehuang Xie
Nutrients 2024, 16(22), 3820; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16223820 - 7 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1150
Abstract
Background: Folate, an essential vitamin B9, is crucial for diverse biological processes, including neurogenesis. Folic acid (FA) supplementation during pregnancy is a standard practice for preventing neural tube defects (NTDs). However, concerns are growing over the potential risks of excessive maternal FA intake. [...] Read more.
Background: Folate, an essential vitamin B9, is crucial for diverse biological processes, including neurogenesis. Folic acid (FA) supplementation during pregnancy is a standard practice for preventing neural tube defects (NTDs). However, concerns are growing over the potential risks of excessive maternal FA intake. Objectives/Methods: Here, we employed a mouse model and spatial transcriptomic and single-nucleus multi-omics approaches to investigate the impact of high maternal FA supplementation during the periconceptional period on offspring brain development. Results: Maternal high FA supplementation affected gene pathways linked to neurogenesis and neuronal axon myelination across multiple brain regions, as well as gene expression alterations related to learning and memory in thalamic and ventricular regions. Single-nucleus multi-omics analysis revealed that maturing excitatory neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) are particularly vulnerable to high maternal FA intake, leading to aberrant gene expressions and chromatin accessibility in pathways governing ribosomal biogenesis critical for synaptic formation. Conclusions: Our findings provide new insights into specific brain regions, cell types, gene expressions and pathways that can be affected by maternal high FA supplementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Maternal Nutrition and Reproductive Health)
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13 pages, 869 KiB  
Article
Vitamin D Supply of Twins during Fetal Life, Its Relation to Anthropometric Parameters of Newborns and the Analysis of Other Factors Related to Birth Size
by Regina Ewa Wierzejska, Barbara Wojda, Dorota Agata Bomba-Opoń, Iga Rzucidło-Szymańska, Robert Brawura-Biskupski-Samaha and Iwona Szymusik
Nutrients 2024, 16(20), 3535; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16203535 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 973
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Vitamin D deficiencies are very common in pregnant women, raising concerns about adverse health outcomes in children. This issue has hardly been studied in multiple pregnancies, the prevalence of which has been steadily increasing. Therefore, our study investigated the relationship between newborns’ [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Vitamin D deficiencies are very common in pregnant women, raising concerns about adverse health outcomes in children. This issue has hardly been studied in multiple pregnancies, the prevalence of which has been steadily increasing. Therefore, our study investigated the relationship between newborns’ anthropometric parameters and the concentration of 25(OH)D in maternal blood of women with twin pregnancies and umbilical cord blood. Methods: The study included 50 women who gave birth after the 36th week of twin gestation. The concentration of 25(OH)D was determined in maternal blood collected during the antenatal period and in the umbilical cord blood of 100 newborns. Anthropometric parameters of the newborns (birth weight, length and head and chest circumference) were obtained from hospital records. Data on nutrition and lifestyle during pregnancy were collected from the patients during an interview conducted by a dietitian. Results: No relationship between maternal and neonatal cord blood vitamin D concentrations and any of the anthropometric parameters of the newborns was found. However, only 6% of the mothers and 13% of the newborns had vitamin D deficiency (≤20 ng/mL). The type of pregnancy and maternal height were the main factors associated with neonatal size. Newborns from dichorionic pregnancies were on average 202 g heavier (p < 0.001) and 1 cm longer (p = 0.006) than newborns from monochorionic pregnancies. Newborns of mothers ≤160 cm in height had on average 206 g lower birth weight (p = 0.006) and were 3.5 cm shorter (p = 0.003) compared to newborns of taller mothers. Conclusions: Therefore, in our study, the neonatal size of twins was not related to the vitamin D status but to other factors such as the type of pregnancy and maternal height. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Maternal Nutrition and Reproductive Health)
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28 pages, 3393 KiB  
Systematic Review
Is Serum Vitamin D Associated with Depression or Anxiety in Ante- and Postnatal Adult Women? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
by Luis Otávio Lobo Centeno, Matheus dos Santos Fernandez, Francisco Wilker Mustafa Gomes Muniz, Aline Longoni and Adriano Martimbianco de Assis
Nutrients 2024, 16(21), 3648; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213648 - 26 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1637
Abstract
Background/Objectives: To collect evidence from studies that explored the associations between serum vitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations/status and the presence of depressive/anxiety symptoms in the ante- and/or postnatal periods (PROSPERO-CRD42023390895). Methods: Studies that assessed serum 25[OH]D concentrations in adult women during the ante/postnatal periods [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: To collect evidence from studies that explored the associations between serum vitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations/status and the presence of depressive/anxiety symptoms in the ante- and/or postnatal periods (PROSPERO-CRD42023390895). Methods: Studies that assessed serum 25[OH]D concentrations in adult women during the ante/postnatal periods and those that used valid instruments to identify the experience/severity of depressive/anxiety symptoms were included. Independent researchers performed the identification/selection of studies, data extraction, risk of bias (RoB) assessment, and bibliometric analysis steps. Results: Of the total of 6769 eligible records, 15 cohort studies [high (n = 3), moderate (n = 7), and low (n = 5) RoB], nine cross-sectional studies [moderate (n = 3) and low (n = 6) RoB], and one case-control study [moderate RoB] were included (n = 25). Depression (n = 24) and anxiety (n = 4) symptoms were assessed. A significant difference in antenatal serum 25[OH]D concentrations between the groups of women with and without depression was identified (mean difference: −4.63 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: −8.88; −0.38). Postnatal serum 25[OH]D concentrations were found to be, on average, −2.36 ng/mL (95% CI: −4.59; −0.14) lower in women with postnatal depression than in those without. Maternal antenatal anxiety was associated with significantly lower concentrations/deficiency of 25[OH]D in only one included study. Conclusions: Based on very low/low-quality evidence, it was observed that reduced serum 25[OH]D concentrations in the ante- and postnatal period are associated with the presence of ante- and postnatal depressive symptoms, respectively. Low/deficient antenatal serum 25[OH]D concentrations may not be related to the presence of anxiety symptoms before childbirth. Well-designed longitudinal studies are needed to explore the estimated pooled effect of these associations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Maternal Nutrition and Reproductive Health)
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