Fiber Supplement Boosts Hydrogen Gas to Reduce Pregnancy Stress
- Authors
- Asuka Okuda, Yuri Kintaka, Kenichi Tanabe, Toshiyuki Nakayama, Akito Shimouchi, Tsuneyuki Oku, Sadako Nakamura
- Journal
- Nutrition Research
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.nutres.2023.09.008
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Pregnancy Complications
- Body System
- Digestive
TL;DR
Eating a specific type of fiber during pregnancy may reduce harmful oxidative stress in both mothers and their unborn babies by increasing beneficial hydrogen gas in the body.
Key Finding
Fructooligosaccharide supplementation during pregnancy increased intestinal hydrogen gas production and reduced oxidative stress markers in both pregnant mice and their fetuses exposed to excessive folic acid, bringing stress levels back to normal.
Summary
Researchers gave pregnant mice a supplement called fructooligosaccharide (FOS), which gut bacteria ferment to produce hydrogen gas. They compared three groups: normal mice, mice given excessive folic acid (which increases oxidative stress, a type of cellular damage), and mice given excessive folic acid plus FOS. The FOS supplement increased hydrogen gas levels in mothers and fetuses and reduced oxidative stress markers in the excessive folic acid group back to normal levels.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting that FOS may help counteract oxidative stress during pregnancy when excessive folic acid is present. However, this was only tested in mice, not humans, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to pregnant women. More research would be needed before any dietary recommendations could be made.
Abstract (excerpt)
Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) is fermented by intestinal microbes to generate intestinal microbe-derived hydrogen gas (IMDH). Oxidative stress increases during gestation, whereas hydrogen gas has antioxidant effects with therapeutic benefits. We have previously reported that the offspring…