Study: High-fibre diet may promote healthy pregnancy

The study found that preeclampsia affected the development of an important foetal immune organ, the thymus, which sits just behind the breastbone. Foetuses in preeclamptic pregnancies were found to have a much smaller thymus than children from healthy pregnancies.

The cells the thymus normally generates, called T cells (thymus-derived cells) - specifically those associated with the prevention of allergies and autoimmune conditions such as diabetes - also remained lower in infants after preeclampsia, even four years after delivery.

The mechanisms of acetate on the developing foetal immune system were further examined in separate experiments involving mice that showed acetate was central in driving fetal thymus and T cell development. These results showed that promoting specific metabolic products of gut bacteria during pregnancy might be an effective way to maintain a healthy pregnancy and to prevent allergies and autoimmune conditions later in life.

They may also, in part, explain the rapid increase of allergies and autoimmune conditions as Western diets are increasingly dominated by highly processed foods, which are very low in fibre, researchers said.

Source: ndianexpress

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