Summary. If you are a pregnant mom (less than 27 weeks pregnant), or planning to become pregnant and wondering about a healthy pregnancy diet, please consider participating in the MELODY Trial, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03850600, WHICH IS NOW RECRUITING! I am super excited about this trial because it is recruiting pregnant aged women to participate in a study that will evaluate the efficacy of a diet intervention during the third trimester of pregnancy. The study’s goal is to determine if manipulation of the mothers microbiome, through diet, would benefit their baby. The diet aims to promote a healthier immune system during a critical time of immune system development. I am helping to recruit for the trial which will have 396 participants, having and not having autoimmune Crohn’s disease. Details for the trial are below. Guys, if the MELODY Trial works for IBD, to improve the microbiome and baby’s immune system, will this strategy work for other diseases?!? Please, do your part and share this info with your friends, daughters, gynecologists, GI docs, doulas… Lets load this cohort quickly and move the needle to make the future better for our next generation! We’ve messed so many things up microbiome-wise, WE OWE OUR CHILDREN THIS!
Category Archives: Blog: Microbiome_Vaginal
Melody TRIAL- Can Maternal Diet Reduce Disease Transmission to the Newborn?
SUMMARY: I am beyond excited to begin 2019 with the announcement of a groundbreaking microbiome study that I’ve been asked to help spread the word on! The study, called the MELODY trial, peels back the layers of microbiome influence further than any study I’ve seen to date because it moves the needle for microbiome manipulation PAST the immediate host to hopefully influence and alter the health of the newborn! HOW? The MELODY Trial will recruit childbearing aged women to investigate if changing the maternal diet can reduce transmission of disease to the newborn! The Melody Trial will focus on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) because children born to mothers with IBD have increased risk of IBD. Participant recruitment is targeted to begin mid-January, 2019. Its website is coming soon, and I’ll post that info ASAP! However, to start this discussion and catch all up to speed, this post explains another study called the MECONIUM Study (see the link here) and its EIGHT publications are below! MECONIUM stands for Exploring MEChanisms Of disease trasmission IUtero through the Microbiome. I’m starting here because the MELODY trial is based on the preliminary findings of the MECONIUM Study! The primary investigating lab for both studies is Peter Lab, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The MECONIUM Study was a prospective study that explored the role IBD plays in the composition of the maternal and infant microbiome. The MECONIUM Study found that the dysbiotic microbiome seen in infants born to mothers with IBD can be improved when ENVIRONMENTAL factors known to have a negative effect on the microbiome are ABSENT in early life. In particular, the sub-optimal microbiome of babies born to IBD mothers were MITIGATED in early life when the baby was born vaginally, was not exposed to antibiotics, and was exclusively or partially breastfed. Because of these findings, and since DIET is also considered an environmental factor that can change the gut microbiome, the MELODY Trial investigates if IBD mothers consuming the UMass IBD-AID diet (a diet shown to change the gut microbiome to anti-inflammatory, aid in repair of the gut, and help restore balance to the immune system to help induce remission for IBD), also alters the vaginal microbiome and reduces the risk of transmitting the dysbiotic disease-prone microbiome to the newborn. Guys, if the MELODY Trial works for IBD, will this strategy work for other diseases?!? Please, do your part and share this info with your friends, daughters, gynecologists, GI docs, doulas… Lets load this cohort quickly and move the needle to make the future better for our next generation! We’ve messed so many things up microbiome-wise, WE OWE OUR CHILDREN THIS!
16S rRNA challenges healthy vaginal microbiome; ferments & coconut oil rock!
SUMMARY: Incredulously, the latest 16S rRNA research now challenges what was thought for years to be a ‘protective,’ ‘normal,’ and healthy vaginal microbiome. Our many microbiomes ideally are “inherited” and originate from our passage through the vagina, and yet it seems a ‘healthy’ and ‘normal’ vaginal microbiome has been elusive; in fact, many women have a compromised vaginal microbiome and many are asymptomatic, or perhaps not…
16S rRNA now proves the notion of a Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiome as ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ is overly simplistic and is giving way to an appreciation of diverse and dynamic bacterial communities. Indeed, the composition and stability of the vaginal microbiome varies by race, age, even within an individual—and it’s quickly become clear that the formula for a “normal,” “healthy” microbial community cannot be computed by ratios of bacterial species. In fact, there is a racial difference in the vaginal environment and the microbial [community] in parallel. Thus, it is time to learn what a ‘normal‘ and ‘healthy’ vaginal microbiome looks like, and if you read this post, you’ll know more than your doctor at your next exam! This 16S rRNA study title says it all: “The vaginal microbiome: rethinking health and diseases.
Yep, we’re going there folks… and men pay attention, if not for yourself… your significant other, daughters, and future children will love you for this information!
The whole foods and lubricant take on vaginal health
I was surprised by the number of women I work with who report that a whole foods diet (such includes live probiotics) along with toxin eliminations (a big change relative to vaginal health I would imagine is ditching personal lubricants and instead use coconut oil), were actually resolving many vajayjay issues. I am talking all ages…. bacterial vaginosis (BV), yeast, discomfort during togetherness, vaginal atrophy, dry vagina… and I mean resolved to the point where prescription and estrogen based suppositories were no longer needed!
Granted, this is anecdotal, but the numbers don’t lie. Curiosity got the best of me, and I learned there is real science that supports my observations relative to vaginal microbiome. Also worth noting: one lubricant, K-Y®Jelly differs regionally in ingredient formulation and composition. Just to repeat: K-Y® Jelly ingredients differs worldwide — I find that incredibly odd, don’t you?!? That’s just one more reason to distrust and ditch such, just saying…
Defining a “healthy” vaginal microbiome is elusive as it can look like it is on the verge of chronic disease…“These findings challenge the common wisdom that the occurrence of high numbers of lactobacilli and a vaginal pH <4.5 is synonymous with ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’.”
What is a ‘healthy’ vaginal microbiome (or gut… or any other microbiome for that matter) is not really known:
In the third trimester, the vaginal microbiome changes and ends up looking like the microbiomes of people with metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by obesity, high blood sugar and a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. This microbiome community might indicate someone on the verge of chronic disease — or merely motherhood. But think about it… packing fat and building up blood sugar really does make perfect sense when nourishing a growing fetus [and I add, prepping for breast milk production]. -Of the bugs that shape us: maternal obesity, the gut microbiome, and long-term disease risk, and