214: Lifestyle, Metabolic Health and the Gut Microbiome in Early Pregnancy

To assess the impact of metabolic health and lifestyle factors on the maternal gut microbiome in early pregnancy. This was a prospective observational study conducted at baseline of an ongoing randomized controlled trial. Fasting blood samples and stool samples were collected from 133 women, in early pregnancy (16 weeksʼ gestation), as they presented for antenatal care in a tertiary level maternity unit. Basic anthropometric details were recorded, and validated lifestyle questionnaires completed. RNAlater was added to collected stool samples and they were frozen at -80°C. Microbial DNA was extracted from samples and subjected to metagenomic shotgun sequencing. Antibiotic usage in pregnancy and natural yoghurt consumption pre-pregnancy had the greatest impact on the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome at 16 weeks’ gestation. Antibiotic usage resulted in a significant reduction in alpha diversity. Natural yoghurt consumption had the greatest impact on beta diversity, however the significance was lost on controlling for multiple testing. At the species level the strongest associations seen were between insulin levels and relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae bacterium 5 1 63FAA and Roseburia hominis. The functional capacity of the gut microbiome was described with participants falling in to five functional groups, and significant differences in Apolipoprotein a and white cell count across these groups were noted. Consumption of natural yoghurt pre-pregnancy increases the diversity of the gut microbiome in early pregnancy and could be advised for women of reproductive age. Antibiotics in early pregnancy were associated with a reduction in alpha diversity and this should be considered when prescribing antibiotics during pregnancy.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)