Research

Mixed

Higher fecal abundance of Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Escherichia coli in pregnant women is associated with unfavorable biochemical markers, including higher total cholesterol, higher ferritin, and lower transferrin.

In pregnant women, higher levels of E. coli and Staphylococcus are associated with higher cholesterol and markers of iron dysregulation (high ferritin, low transferrin). This may reflect an inflammatory state associated with obesity. Maintaining a healthy weight and diet may help keep these bacterial populations in check, supporting better metabolic health.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Increased total bacteria and Staphylococcus numbers were related to increased plasma cholesterol levels. Increased Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli numbers were related to increased ferritin and reduced transferrin
Arlette Santacruz et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2010

Why this rating

Small sample size, cross-sectional design, correlational data.

Source

Gut microbiota composition is associated with body weight, weight gain and biochemical parameters in pregnant women

Arlette Santacruz et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2010

DOI 10.1017/s0007114510000176

cross_sectional · n=50Cited 868×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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