Pregnant women with good levels of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) had healthier weight, less diabetes and more normal-sized babies, and those who took chlorella had better blood pressure and iron levels, in several new studies.
Doctors in a probiotics study said that moms who keep excess weight off while pregnant can avoid complications and have healthier babies. Researchers measured gut microorganism levels in 50 women in the 24th week of pregnancy. Those who had gained more weight than normal had fewer good bacteria and more bad bacteria. Women who avoided excess weight also had more folate and higher levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol.
In another probiotics study, doctors said that women who maintain healthy weight are less likely to develop diabetes while pregnant or type 2 diabetes later, and their children are less likely to be obese or to develop diabetes as adults. In the study, 256 women in their third trimester of pregnancy were divided into three groups who received dietary counseling plus probiotics, dietary counseling plus placebo, or neither counseling or probiotics. The probiotics were Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis.
After the study, about 35 percent of the placebo and no-counseling groups had developed gestational diabetes compared to 13 percent for the probiotics group. Women in the probiotics group were also much more likely to deliver normal-sized babies. Doctors said that larger birth size raises the chances of obesity later, and they concluded that probiotics and dietary counseling may safely and cost-effectively reduce obesity and diabetes.
In a pregnancy study of 70 women, those who took 6g of chlorella per day from the 12th to the 18th week of pregnancy had, by the third trimester, lower blood pressure, less edema and better iron levels and kidney function than those who did not take chlorella.