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Vitamins, Minerals, Nutrition and Maternal/Perinatal COVID-19—Is There a Link and an Opportunity for Intervention in Pregnant Mothers and Infants?

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Micronutrients and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2022) | Viewed by 9691

Special Issue Editors

Division of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Department of Maternal, Neonatal, and Infant Health, Ospedale degli Infermi, ASLBI & University of Torino, 13875 Biella-Torino, Italy
Interests: neonatology; paediatric and neonatal infectious disease; pediatrics; retinopathy of prematurity; neonatal nutrition; lactoferrin; probiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Ospedale degli Infermi - Ponderano (Bi), University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Interests: maternal diseases of pregnancy; development of the placenta; fetal growth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will review the current evidence on the relationships and links between COVID-19 in pregnant women and offspring, and the nutritional variables.

A state-of-the-art review will be provided, highlighting the role of bioactive substances and nutrients with potential action on COVID-19, including lactoferrin, resveratrol, vitamins, and trace elements.

The implications towards lactation of COVID-19 disease during pregnancy will be discussed and international guidelines will be reviewed, as well as the role of specific dietetic regimens (e.g., of hypoproteic, hypoglucidic, etc.) in specific pregnancy morbidities in women affected by COVID-19.

In addition, the putative role of COVID-19 towards preterm delivery and fetal growth will be analysed, together with the implications for infant growth after birth, and the diet opportunities to tackle potential issues in this area.

Lastly, this Special Issue will include a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding potential nutritional supplementations in preterm and term neonates born to mothers with COVID-19.

Dr. Paolo Manzoni
Dr. Bianca Masturzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pregnancy
  • nutrition
  • nutrients
  • bioactive
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19
  • neonate
  • infant
  • minerals
  • vitamin

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1320 KiB  
Article
Persistence of Anti SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Breast Milk from Infected and Vaccinated Women after In Vitro-Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion
by Joaquim Calvo-Lerma, Pierre Bueno-Llamoga, Christine Bäuerl, Erika Cortés-Macias, Marta Selma-Royo, Francisco Pérez-Cano, Carles Lerin, Cecilia Martínez-Costa and Maria Carmen Collado
Nutrients 2022, 14(10), 2117; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14102117 - 19 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2378
Abstract
Breastfeeding is key for infant development and growth. Breast milk contains different bioactive compounds including antibodies. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of breast milk SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after maternal infection and vaccination. However, the potential impact on the infant has not been explored [...] Read more.
Breastfeeding is key for infant development and growth. Breast milk contains different bioactive compounds including antibodies. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of breast milk SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after maternal infection and vaccination. However, the potential impact on the infant has not been explored yet. As a first step, we aimed at assessing the potential persistence of SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG antibodies from infected and vaccinated women in the gastrointestinal tract of the infants by means of an in vitro-simulated gastrointestinal digestion approach. Breast milk samples from 10 lactating women receiving mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 (n = 5 with BNT162b2 mRNA and n = 5 with mRNA-1273) and also, COVID-19 infected (n = 5) were included. A control group with women with no exposure to the virus (n = 10 pre-pandemic) were also studied. The presence of IgA and IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels was determined by ELISA after the gastric and intestinal stages. The impact of digested antibodies on infant gut microbiota was tested by simulating colonic fermentation with two different fecal inoculums: infants from vaccinated and non-vaccinated mothers. Specific gut microbial groups were tested by targeted qPCR. In vitro infant gastrointestinal digestion significantly decreased the levels of both anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG. However, both remained resistant in all the study groups except in that evaluating breast milk samples from infected women, in which IgG was degraded below the cut-off values in the intestinal phase. No effect of the antibodies on microbiota were identified after digestion. In conclusion, antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 are reduced after in vitro-simulated gastrointestinal tract but remain present, so a positive biological effect could be expected from this infant immunization pathway. Full article
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Review

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28 pages, 3268 KiB  
Review
COVID-19 in Pregnancy: Influence of Body Weight and Nutritional Status on Maternal and Pregnancy Outcomes—A Review of Literature and Meta-Analysis
by Rossella Attini, Maria Elena Laudani, Elisabetta Versino, Alessio Massaro, Arianna Pagano, Francesca Petey, Alberto Revelli and Bianca Masturzo
Nutrients 2023, 15(4), 1052; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu15041052 - 20 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1757
Abstract
In the last two and a half years, COVID-19 has been one of the most challenging public health issues worldwide. Based on the available evidence, pregnant women do not appear to be more susceptible to infection than the general population but having COVID-19 [...] Read more.
In the last two and a half years, COVID-19 has been one of the most challenging public health issues worldwide. Based on the available evidence, pregnant women do not appear to be more susceptible to infection than the general population but having COVID-19 during pregnancy may increase the risk of major complications for both the mother and the fetus. The aim of this study is to identify the correlation between BMI and nutritional status and the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 infection in pregnancy, its severity, and maternal pregnancy outcomes. We carry out a systematic literature search and a meta-analysis using three databases following the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration. We include 45 studies about COVID-19-positive pregnant women. Compared with normal-weight pregnant women with COVID-19, obesity is associated with a more severe infection (OR = 2.32 [1.65–3.25]), increased maternal death (OR = 2.84 [2.01–4.02]), and a higher rate of hospital admission (OR = 2.11 [1.37–3.26]). Obesity may be associated with adverse maternal and pregnancy outcomes by increasing symptom severity and, consequently, hospital and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, and, finally, death rates. For micronutrients, the results are less definite, even if there seems to be a lower level of micronutrients, in particular Vitamin D, in COVID-19-positive pregnant women. Full article
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11 pages, 566 KiB  
Review
COVID-19 and Gestational Diabetes: The Role of Nutrition and Pharmacological Intervention in Preventing Adverse Outcomes
by Ruben Ramirez Zegarra, Andrea Dall’Asta, Alberto Revelli and Tullio Ghi
Nutrients 2022, 14(17), 3562; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14173562 - 30 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
Pregnant women with GDM affected by COVID-19 seem to be at higher risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, especially those with overweight or obesity. Good glycemic control seems to be the most effective measure in reducing the risk of GDM and severe [...] Read more.
Pregnant women with GDM affected by COVID-19 seem to be at higher risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, especially those with overweight or obesity. Good glycemic control seems to be the most effective measure in reducing the risk of GDM and severe COVID-19. For such purposes, the Mediterranean diet, micronutrient supplementation, and physical activity are considered the first line of treatment. Failure to achieve glycemic control leads to the use of insulin, and this clinical scenario has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. In this review, we explore the current evidence pertaining to the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 leading to the main complications caused by COVID-19 in patients with GDM. We also discuss the incidence of complications caused by COVID-19 in pregnant women with GDM according to their treatment. Full article
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26 pages, 1923 KiB  
Review
Fetal Brain Damage during Maternal COVID-19: Emerging Hypothesis, Mechanism, and Possible Mitigation through Maternal-Targeted Nutritional Supplementation
by Chiara Germano, Alessandro Messina, Elena Tavella, Raffaele Vitale, Vincenzo Avellis, Martina Barboni, Rossella Attini, Alberto Revelli, Paolo Zola, Paolo Manzoni and Bianca Masturzo
Nutrients 2022, 14(16), 3303; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14163303 - 12 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2473
Abstract
The recent outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or CoV-2) pandemic in 2019 and the risk of CoV-2 infection during pregnancy led the scientific community to investigate the potential negative effects of Coronavirus infection on pregnancy outcomes and fetal development. In particular, as [...] Read more.
The recent outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or CoV-2) pandemic in 2019 and the risk of CoV-2 infection during pregnancy led the scientific community to investigate the potential negative effects of Coronavirus infection on pregnancy outcomes and fetal development. In particular, as CoV-2 neurotropism has been demonstrated in adults, recent studies suggested a possible risk of fetal brain damage and fetal brain development impairment, with consequent psychiatric manifestations in offspring of mothers affected by COronaVIrus Disease (COVID) during pregnancy. Through the understanding of CoV-2’s pathogenesis and the pathways responsible for cell damage, along with the available data about neurotropic virus attitudes, different strategies have been suggested to lower the risk of neurologic disease in newborns. In this regard, the role of nutrition in mitigating fetal damages related to oxidative stress and the inflammatory environment during viral infection has been investigated, and arginine, n3PUFA, vitamins B1 and B9, choline, and flavonoids were found to be promising in and out of pregnancy. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current knowledge on the mechanism of fetal brain damage and the impact of nutrition in reducing inflammation related to worse neurological outcomes in the context of CoV-2 infections during pregnancy. Full article
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