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The systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to ascertain the prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency (ID), and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among Chinese pregnant women. A total of 722 articles on maternal anemia during pregnancy published between January 2010 and December 2020 were compiled, and a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on 57 eligible studies including 1,376,204 pregnant women to ascertain the prevalence of anemia and the prevalence in different subgroups. The results showed that the prevalence of anemia, ID, and IDA among pregnant women in China were 30.7% (95% CI: 26.6%, 34.7%), 45.6% (95% CI: 37.0%, 54.2%), and 17.3% (95% CI: 13.9%, 20.7%), respectively. All prevalence increased with the progression of the pregnancy. There were sizable regional variations in the prevalence of anemia, ID, and IDA. Generally, lower prevalence was observed in the economically more advanced eastern region of the country, while the prevalence of ID was higher in the eastern region than that in the western region. The prevalence of anemia and IDA in rural areas was higher than that in urban areas, but ID prevalence was higher in urban areas. In conclusion, the regional differences and urban–rural disparities in the prevalence of anemia indicate the need for more context-specific interventions to prevent and treat anemia. It was found that dietary factors were one of the major causes of anemia, and iron-containing supplements and nutrition counseling could be effective interventions to reduce the prevalence of anemia, ID, and IDA among Chinese pregnant women.

Objectives: This study aims to examine the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and bone mineral density (BMD) changes among Chinese pregnant women, offering valuable insights for dietary guidance during pregnancy. Methods: 289 pregnant women were enrolled in this cohort. Serum inflammatory factors and ultrasonic BMD were measured at the first, second, and the third trimesters. DII scores were calculated based on a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and divided into tertiles. We compared the differences in inflammatory factors in serum across the tertiles of DII and changes in BMD at the second and third trimesters across the tertiles. Results: The participants with higher DII scores had higher total energy intakes than those with lower DII scores. The serum level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly different across the tertiles of the DII. Women who had lower DII scores had higher T-scores and Z-scores in the BMD assessment. In the test of trends, after adjusting potential covariates, including educational level, physical activity, body mass index, and calcium, vitamin D, or multivitamin supplements, DII values were determined to be positively related to the maternal BMD lost. Conclusions: DII was positively associated with serum IL-6. Meanwhile, higher DII scores were associated with more bone mass loss in pregnant women. We recommend adhering to a lower-DII diet to preserve BMD during pregnancy.

The study was designed to develop and validate the nutrition literacy assessment instrument for pregnant women in China (NLAI-P). The dimension, components and questions of NLAI-P were identified via literature review and expert consultation. A panel of experts evaluated the content validity. The construct validity was evaluated by using the exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Cronbach’s α coefficient and split-half reliability were applied for examining the reliability. The NLAI-P was divided into 3 dimensions including knowledge, behavior and skill dimension. Findings showed NLAI-P possessed the satisfactory content validity (content validity index = 0.98, content validity ratio = 0.97), acceptable construct validity (χ2/df = 1.82, GFI = 0.86, AGFI = 0.84, RMSEA = 0.046) and good reliability (Cronbach’s α coefficient = 0.82). The average scores of NLAI-P were 46.59 ± 9.27. With the adjustment of confounding factors, education level presented a significantly positive correlation with NLAI-P scores. In conclusion, NLAI-P were valid and reliable to inspect NL level of pregnant women in China. Poor NL was prevalent among Chinese pregnant women. Based on the education level, taking targeted propaganda and education measures would achieve the optimal effect. NLAI-P can be applied as the tool for monitoring and assessing NL of pregnant women, and facilitate the designation of targeted interventions policies.

This systematic review aimed to examine differences in growth outcomes between breastfed infants and infants fed with formula with different protein/energy ratios during the first six months of life. We conducted a systematic review in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Springer databases. Twenty clinical trials qualified for inclusion. We extracted data about the growth outcomes of infants who were exclusive breastfed or exclusively infant formula fed in the first six months and used a meta-analysis to pool the finding data. We categorized study formulas into four groups according to their protein content: 2.2 g/100 kcal. In the first month of life, growth was not different between formula- and breastfed infants. During 2–3 months of life, growth was faster in infants who consumed formulas with protein contents higher than 2.0 g/100 kcal. After 3 months, formula-fed infants grew faster than breastfed infants. Our meta-analysis indicated that the growth outcomes of infants fed with infant formula with a relatively low protein/energy ratios, compared with that a relatively high protein/energy ratio, were close to those of breastfed infants.

Recent studies have reported a strong association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and postpartum depression (PPD), but little is known about the underlying physiological mechanism. In this study, a GDM rat model was used to evaluate the direct effect of GDM on PPD and to explore the mechanism. After parturition, the GDM dams were divided into two groups: blood glucose not recovered group (GH group) and blood glucose recovered group (GL group). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), cortisol (COR) and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) metabolism were continuously monitored during the lactation period, until postnatal day 21. PPD was evaluated by behavioral tests. At the endpoint, the expression of the key enzymes of Trp metabolic pathway in colon and brain tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blot. The microbe composition of colonic contents was determined by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The results showed that GDM induced postpartum depression-like behavior in rats. The HPA axis hormone did not show the typical stress state of depression, but the level of 5-HT decreased significantly in serum, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and the Kyn/Trp ratio increased significantly in serum and prefrontal cortex, implying the switch of the tryptophan (Trp) metabolism from the 5-HT pathway to the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway. The expression of Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a key rate-limiting enzyme in Kyn metabolism, was up-regulated in the colon and brain, which was an important reason for this switch. This switch was accelerated by a decrease in the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), a key enzyme of the 5-HT production pathway, in the colon. GDM dams displayed significant changes in gut microbiome profiles, which were correlated with depression. The ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes decreased. Lactobacillus and Bacteroides were negatively correlated with 5-HT level and positively correlated with Kyn level, whereas Clostridium XlVa and Ruminococcus were positively correlated with 5-HT level. These results suggest that GDM disrupts both the Trp pathway and the composition of the gut microbiota, which provide a putative physiological basis for PPD.

This study was designed to identify serum and amniotic fluid (AF) metabolic profile changes in response to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and explore the association with maternal–fetal outcomes. We established the GDM rat models by combining a high-fat diet (HFD) with an injection of low-dose streptozotocin (STZ), detected the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of pregnant rats in the second and third trimester, and collected AF and fetal rats by cesarean section on gestational day 19 (GD19), as well as measuring the weight and crown–rump length (CRL) of fetal rats. We applied liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the untargeted metabolomics analyses of serum and AF samples and then explored their correlation with maternal–fetal outcomes via the co-occurrence network. The results showed that 91 and 68 metabolites were upregulated and 125 and 78 metabolites were downregulated in serum and AF samples exposed to GDM, respectively. In maternal serum, the obvious alterations emerged in lipids and lipid-like molecules, while there were great changes in carbohydrate and carbohydrate conjugates, followed by amino acids, peptides, and analogs in amniotic fluid. The altered pathways both in serum and AF samples were amino acid, lipid, nucleotide, and vitamin metabolism pathways. In response to GDM, changes in the steroid hormone metabolic pathway occurred in serum, and an altered carbohydrate metabolism pathway was found in AF samples. Among differential metabolites in two kinds of samples, there were 34 common biochemicals shared by serum and AF samples, and a mutual significant association existed. These shared differential metabolites were implicated in several metabolism pathways, including choline, tryptophan, histidine, and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, and among them, N1-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide, 5’-methylthioadenosine, and kynurenic acid were significantly associated with both maternal FPG and fetal growth. In conclusion, serum and AF metabolic profiles were remarkably altered in response to GDM. N1-Methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide, 5’-methylthioadenosine, and kynurenic acid have the potential to be taken as biomarkers for maternal–fetal health status of GDM. The common and inter-related differential metabolites both in the serum and AF implied the feasibility of predicting fetal health outcomes via detecting the metabolites in maternal serum exposed to GDM.