Folic acid, iron, vitamin D, and calcium are among the supplements recommended by the Danish Health Authority to support pregnancy health. But many expecting parents also choose to take probiotics such as Lactobacilli during their pregnancies, despite studies suggesting they may have little to no benefit in uncomplicated, healthy pregnancies.

A new study from the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) and the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University, in partnership with McMaster University in Canada, suggests that many pregnant respondents chose to take probiotics, seemingly because they were unfamiliar with the evidence on the whether or not it benefits parents’ or children’s health. Ph.D. and fellow at AIAS, Luseadra McKerracher, who was the lead author on the study, explains:

"Our study shows that many pregnant people take probiotics without knowing if or when it might be helpful to take them. In our study, we looked at many previous studies from around the world, and they don’t offer any evidence that taking probiotics in a normal and healthy pregnancy provides any health benefits for parent or fetus.”

This means, that many – but not all – expecting parents may be able to leave the probiotics on the pharmacy shelves. Luseadra McKerracher continues:

"There is increasing evidence that certain probiotics can be beneficial for pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes, which is a significant risk factor for the development of diabetes or other metabolic diseases both in birthing parents and in their children later in life. And we know that gestational diabetes is on the rise around the world. That also applies here in Denmark, with as many as 4-6% of Danish pregnancies now affected by this disease."

Education and income may play a role

The study, which analyzed data from 341 pregnant people in Canada, also shows that, at least in Canada, socioeconomic status is more important than health concerns when it comes to the use of probiotics during pregnancy.

"We can see from our study in Canada that education and income play a central role in whether or not you take probiotic supplements during pregnancy. But whether this is also the case in Denmark, we don’t yet know. However, we do know that parental nutrition and health around conception and during pregnancy has a significant impact on the child's health throughout life. Therefore, it is important that everyone who is planning a pregnancy or who is currently pregnant has equal access to healthcare" explains Luseadra McKerracher.

And while the study is based on expecting parents in Canada, the social inequalities may also play a role in Denmark, says Luseadra McKerracher.

“Like in Denmark, Canada has a universal healthcare system and prides itself on working towards equitable access to all forms of healthcare and health resources, but despite that we can see examples of inequality in prenatal care and in long-term outcomes within both systems,” she explains.

The researchers behind the study now hope to follow up with more studies in both Canada and Denmark, which will, among other things, examine the various factors that pregnant people take into consideration when deciding whether or not to use probiotics and other supplements.

About the study:

Type of study: Tværsnitsundersøgelse med anvendelse af prospektive surveydata, der er blevet analyseret ved hjælp af multivariat logistisk regression.

Partners: Professor, Deborah M Sloboda, McMaster University,  Associate Professor, Beth Murray-Davis, McMaster University,  Dietician, Lindsay Zalot, Healthy Families Hamilton, Dr. Vanessa Parlette Healthy Families Division, Hamilton, Midwife, Diana Høtoft, Aarhus University Hospital.

External funding: Healthy bUGS for HEALTHy babies (HUGS FOR HEALTH), supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research; lead author also receives salary support as an AIAS cofund fellow from ERC Horizon 2020 and AUF

Conflicts of interest: none 

Link to publication: 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213434423000166

Contact:

PhD., AIAS Fellow, Luseadra McKerracher
Department of Public Health and AIAS
luseadramckerracher@aias.au.dk