The effects of consuming non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) during pregnancy and lactation on infant obesity and cardiometabolic disease risk are not well understood. In this project, pregnant women who frequently consume NNS will be randomly assigned to an NNS-restriction intervention (NNS restriction during pregnancy and lactation or during lactation only) or a control group (no NNS restriction) to determine whether NNS consumption during pregnancy and/or lactation affects infant body composition, maternal blood sugar during pregnancy, and the infants' gut microbiome and metabolome. The results of this study have the potential to shape recommendations around NNS consumption during pregnancy and lactation, thereby potentially improving maternal and infant metabolic health and reducing the global burden of obesity and cardiometabolic disease.
Pregnant
≤ 16 weeks gestation
Singleton pregnancy
Report frequent NNS beverage consumption (≥ 7 servings/week)
Physical or mental concerns preventing study participation;
Medication (e.g., metformin; GLP-1 agonists) use that may affect body weight, body composition, insulin resistance, or lipid profiles;
Tobacco or drug use during pregnancy;
Alcohol consumption (>1 drink per week) during pregnancy;
George Washington University
Lead sponsor
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Collaborator
Children's National Research Institute
Collaborator
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Collaborator