PLoS ONE (Jan 2024)

Effect of maternal diet on the frequency of micronuclei in pregnant women and newborns: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

  • Anny Cristine de Araújo,
  • Marília Cristina Santos de Medeiros,
  • Priscila Kelly da Silva Bezerra do Nascimento,
  • Ricardo Ney Cobucci,
  • Raul Hernandes Bortolin,
  • Adriana Augusto de Rezende

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300714
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 3
p. e0300714

Abstract

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BackgroundThe effects of diet on maternal and child genetic levels have been previously reported. Diet-associated DNA damage, such as the presence of micronuclei (MN), may be related to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases, such as cancer. Such damage is particularly concerning during pregnancy as it can affect the newborn.AimThis review will aim to summarize the primary evidence of the impact of diet during pregnancy on micronucleus frequency in the maternal-newborn population.MethodsThis protocol was developed based on the Preferred Reporting Items guidelines for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Protocol. The review was registered with the International Register of Prospective Systematic Reviews on February 17, 2022 (registration number: CRD42022302401). We will use PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Science direct, and Google databases to search for observational studies. This review will include studies that investigate the diet consumed by pregnant women and its effect on the frequency of MN in mothers and newborns without any time or language limitations. For data extraction, researchers will independently review the full text and collect information that characterizes the study and its findings. We will analyze the results by calculating the odds ratio for each type of diet evaluated, accompanied by a 95% confidence interval. We will perform a quantitative synthesis of homogeneous studies to perform a meta-analysis. Micronucleus frequency quantifies the effect and will be presented as the mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range.Expected resultsThis review will aim to identify which dietary patterns during pregnancy may be associated with an increase in the frequency of MN in mothers and their newborns. Understanding the impact of diet on the frequency of MN is essential to deepen studies and to propose strategies that aim to protect the health of the public through food.