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The impact of a Mediterranean diet and physical activity in pregnancy on gestational weight gain and neonatal body composition at birth and 1 year of age

Desiree Silva MBBS, FRACP, MPH, PhD Co-Director, ORIGINS desiree.silva@thekids.org.au Co-Head, The ORIGINS Project Professor Desiree Silva is

Clustering of psychosocial symptoms in overweight children

The aims of the present study were to (i) examine the relationship between children's degree of adiposity and psychosocial functioning; and (ii) compare patterns of clustering of psychosocial measures between healthy weight and overweight/obese children.

Maternal and family factors and child eating pathology: Risk and protective relationships

This study aimed to identify maternal and family factors that may predict increases or decreases in child eating disorder symptoms over time, accounting for...

Respiratory allergen from house dust mite is present in human milk and primes for allergic sensitization in a mouse model of asthma

These data highlight that antigen administration to the neonate through the oral route may contribute to child allergic sensitization and have important...

Disease prevention in the age of convergence - The need for a wider, long ranging and collaborative vision

Our global health crisis and the pandemic of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is clearly rooted in complex modern societal and environmental changes, many of...

Autism spectrum disorder in children born preterm: Role of exposure to perinatal inflammation

This review aims to summarise and evaluate the potential mechanisms and evidence for the role of prenatal infection on the central nervous system, and how it...

Associations between maternal antioxidant intakes in pregnancy and infant allergic outcomes

Antioxidant intakes in pregnancy may influence fetal immune programming and the risk of allergic disease.

Susan Prescott

Honorary Research Fellow

Maternal prebiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation modifies the microbiome and short chain fatty acid profile of both mother and infant

Improving maternal gut health in pregnancy and lactation is a potential strategy to improve immune and metabolic health in offspring and curtail the rising rates of inflammatory diseases linked to alterations in gut microbiota. Here, we investigate the effects of a maternal prebiotic supplement (galacto-oligosaccharides and fructo-oligosaccharides), ingested daily from <21 weeks' gestation to six months' post-partum, in a double-blinded, randomised placebo-controlled trial. 

“Food faddists and pseudoscientists!”: Reflections on the history of resistance to ultra-processed foods

The term 'ultra-processed food' emerged in the 1980s, mostly used in reference to highly-processed convenience foods and snacks, often energy-dense, poor in nutrients, and inclusive of various synthetic additives such as emulsifiers, colors, artificial sweeteners, and/or flavor enhancers.