{
  "abstract": "Alterations in gut and vaginal microbial communities during pregnancy have been linked to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Diet is a major modifiable factor that can shape the microbiome, through processes such as fibre fermentation and short chain fatty acid production. This study aimed to examine how dietary patterns relate to variation in gut and vaginal microbiome profiles in early pregnancy among healthy participants ( n = 130) from the MicrobeMom trial. At 16-weeks' gestation, diet was assessed using 3-day food diaries to calculate five dietary indices: AHEIP, MD, PHDI, DASH, and DII. Stool and vaginal samples underwent shotgun metagenomic sequencing. In adjusted models, higher DASH scores were associated with lower vaginal Shannon diversity (β = −0.01, p = 0.04). Gut microbiome composition differed between ‘High’ and ‘Low’ AHEIP groups ( p = 0.005, R 2 = 0.02), while vaginal CST distribution also differed between AHEIP groups ( p = 0.03). Unadjusted DASH-gut and DII/AHEIP-vaginal beta diversity associations did not persist after confounding adjustment. In this exploratory analysis of a healthy, predominantly White Irish cohort, maternal dietary quality was associated with modest differences in gut and vaginal microbial patterns in early pregnancy.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "UCD Perinatal Research Centre, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland",
    "UCD Perinatal Research Centre, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland; National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland",
    "School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom",
    "APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Food Biosciences Department, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland",
    "College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Ireland",
    "School of Biological, Health and Sports Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin 7, Ireland",
    "APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland",
    "APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Cork, Ireland",
    "UCD Perinatal Research Centre, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland; National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland; Corresponding author at: UCD Perinatal Research Centre, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, The National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Aoife Davis"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sophie Callanan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Gillian A.Corbett"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Conor Feehily"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Sai Ravi Chandra Nori"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Alexander P. Douglass"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Eileen C. O'Brien"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Douwe Van Sinderen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Paul D. Cotter"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Fionnuala M. McAuliffe"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cq22s3at89vpn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.jff.2026.107561",
  "fulltext_url": "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464626004111",
  "id": "cq22s3at89vpn",
  "issns": [
    "1756-4646",
    "2214-9414"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2026.107561",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "TX341-641"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Gut microbiota and health"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223568508",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cq22s3at89vpn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:47:21Z",
      "native_id": "8fd68ac8ae144148b220a65c3a6878b4",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2026.107561"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Gut microbiota and health",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Dietary patterns in early pregnancy are associated with distinct gut and vaginal microbial profiles: Insights from the MicrobeMom study",
  "title_text": "Dietary patterns in early pregnancy are associated with distinct gut and vaginal microbial profiles: Insights from the MicrobeMom study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:47:21Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cq22s3at89vpn",
  "venue": "Journal of Functional Foods",
  "versions": []
}