Potential mechanisms and modulators of food intake during pregnancy

Theresa Waclawek; Soyoung Q Park

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1032430

Potential mechanisms and modulators of food intake during pregnancy

Front Nutr. 2023 Jan 20:10:1032430. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1032430. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Theresa Waclawek^{1

2}, Soyoung Q Park^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
² Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam, Germany.
³ Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Neuroscience Research Center, Berlin Institute of Health, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung, Neuherberg, Germany.

Abstract

Dietary choice during pregnancy is crucial not only for fetal development, but also for long-term health outcomes of both mother and child. During pregnancy, dramatic changes in endocrine, cognitive, and reward systems have been shown to take place. Interestingly, in different contexts, many of these mechanisms play a key role in guiding food intake. Here, we review how food intake may be impacted as a function of pregnancy-induced changes across species. We first summarize changes in endocrine and metabolic signaling in the course of pregnancy. Then, we show how these may be related to cognitive function and reward processing in humans. Finally, we link these to potential drivers of change in eating behavior throughout the course of pregnancy.

Keywords: cognition; diet; hormones; metabolism; nutrition; pregnancy; reward processing.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the State of Brandenburg, and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD, 82DZD03D03).