Can maternal dietary components or supplements be the answer to mitigate heat-related effects to mothers and offspring in mammalian species?

Extreme heat events are rising in frequency and duration and can have a significant impact on fetal growth and pregnancy outcomes. This review provides strong evidence that links heat stress during pregnancy and/or lactation in mammals will impair the maternal gut, immune response, hormone balance, placenta function and morphology, and alter fetal growth and birth outcomes. In addition, there are also effects to lactation and postnatally, including a change in milk production and composition, and alterations to offspring's gut, immune response, muscle, and body composition, independent of diet. In addition to the rise in extreme heat events, maternal diet composition has further effects and leads to detrimental outcomes during pregnancy and on offspring health. Yet, there are still many open questions that remain before we fully understand the mechanisms of how heat exposure during pregnancy impacts maternal and child health outcomes and how well these translate to humans. Lastly, emerging evidence supports the beneficial effects of maternal nutritional supplementation, micronutrient intake, and dietary components on maternal-child health outcomes.