Pregnancy is a very particular moment in a woman’s life during which many functional and metabolic parameters are carefully monitored. Among others, blood glucose, gestational weight gain (GWG), and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)] are constantly checked to avoid the risk of developing maternal pregnancy-related complications.

These parameters have been taken into consideration by the Danish group of Andreas Munk Petersen in a recent study published in Maternal and Pediatric Nutrition. In this randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled study, 50 obese pregnant women were randomly assigned to the treatment groups to receive 4 capsules containing the De Simone Formulation (Vivomixx^®, 450 billion live bacteria per day) or placebo, from gestational week 14–20 until delivery. All visits also included fecal sampling to evaluate the intestinal microbiota. Fecal analysis showed a significant increase in bacterial biodiversity in the group integrated with probiotic, thus demonstrating that Vivomixx^® is able to modulate the intestinal microbiota in obese women during pregnancy.