The first baby has been born into a novel clinical study that is assessing the impact of a mother鈥檚 health before and during pregnancy.
Sophie is the first UK baby born in the international , which is investigating how a specially-formulated nutritional supplement taken before and during pregnancy could improve the health of the baby in the first year of life and beyond.
The study is being led by the and being carried out across three centres: Southampton, Singapore and Auckland in New Zealand.
Increasing evidence shows the mother鈥檚 nutritional state as she enters pregnancy is important for the baby鈥檚 development and life-long health.聽 For example, if the mother has high blood sugar levels in pregnancy it can predispose the baby to having increased body fat and diabetes in later life. Researchers also think that the food women eat, even before they are pregnant, can 鈥減rogram鈥� the baby by switching genes on or off to influence the risk of childhood obesity and other disorders later in life.
The NiPPeR study provides all participating women with a nutrient drink before conception. The drink includes the vitamins and mineral supplements already recommended for pregnancy. Half the women also get additional components in their drink, such as probiotics, as part of the trial. The women are then followed through pregnancy and their baby鈥檚 first year of life.
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MEDIA: The BBC covered the news about Southampton’s first NiPPeR baby this week.聽 BBC South Today aired the piece at 12mins 13secs.聽 breakfast show also interviewed (42mins 41secs) and mother Lizzie Richardson (1hr 39mins 17ses).
The NiPPeR study is still recruiting. Anyone interested in participating in, or receiving further information about, the trial should contact the NiPPeR team at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton on 0800 032 31 30, TEXT NIPPER to 66777, email nipper@mrc.soton.ac.uk or visit