Dietary patterns in early pregnancy are associated with distinct gut and vaginal microbial profiles: Insights from the MicrobeMom study
9 affiliations
- 1UCD Perinatal Research Centre, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland
- 2UCD Perinatal Research Centre, UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland; National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland
- 3School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- 4APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Food Biosciences Department, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland
- 5College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Ireland
- 6School of Biological, Health and Sports Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin 7, Ireland
- 7APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- 8APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Cork, Ireland
- 9UCD 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.
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.
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BibTeX
@article{davis2026dietary,
title = {{Dietary patterns in early pregnancy are associated with distinct gut and vaginal microbial profiles: Insights from the MicrobeMom study}},
author = {Aoife Davis and Sophie Callanan and Gillian A.Corbett and Conor Feehily and Sai Ravi Chandra Nori and Alexander P. Douglass and Eileen C. O'Brien and Douwe Van Sinderen and Paul D. Cotter and Fionnuala M. McAuliffe},
journal = {Journal of Functional Foods},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jff.2026.107561},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2026.107561},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dietary patterns in early pregnancy are associated with distinct gut and vaginal microbial profiles: Insights from the MicrobeMom study
AU - Aoife Davis
AU - Sophie Callanan
AU - Gillian A.Corbett
AU - Conor Feehily
AU - Sai Ravi Chandra Nori
AU - Alexander P. Douglass
AU - Eileen C. O'Brien
AU - Douwe Van Sinderen
AU - Paul D. Cotter
AU - Fionnuala M. McAuliffe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Journal of Functional Foods
DO - 10.1016/j.jff.2026.107561
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2026.107561
AB - 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.
SN - 1756-4646
SN - 2214-9414
ER -