Objective The aim was to synthesise international-level sport policies for pregnant, postpartum or parenting high-performance athletes in order to understand what policies currently exist and to identify policy gaps to be addressed. Design Scoping review. Data sources Online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscuss, Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (Ovid), Scopus, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov) and Google up to 14 June 2024. Additionally, a targeted search of existing policies was conducted via the websites of International Federations (IFs) and continental sporting organisations (CSOs) in September 2023. Eligibility criteria We included policies from IFs recognised by the International Olympic Committee, and CSOs associated with the IFs that specifically address pregnant, postpartum or parenting athletes. Policies were a written principle of action adopted by the IFs/CSOs that provided any form of support during pregnancy, post partum or for parents. Results A total of 219 organisations (49 IFs; 170 CSOs) were identified and contacted, with 47/49 (96%) IFs and 15/170 (9%) CSOs responding. Sport policies related to pregnancy, postpartum or parenting athletes were identified from 20 IFs including (1) guidance on training/competition during and following pregnancy; (2) eligibility affected or training not advised; (3) protection from dismissal; (4) special rank, points or quota protection; (5) protections apply to adoption, surrogacy, miscarriage, stillbirth, egg freezing and/or fertility treatment; (6) duration of leave and if leave is paid and (7) breastfeeding support/space. No policies identified specific provisions for childcare support/space. Conclusions Less than half of all IFs have developed sport policies to support pregnant, postpartum and parenting athletes. Of the policies that do exist, most are limited in the extent to which they address the broad range of biopsychosocial supports that are necessary for facilitating optimal performance, enhancing long-term athlete health and addressing gender inequities that are deeply entrenched across all levels of sport. This review provides a critical piece of evidence needed to inform future policy development.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of dietary fibre on the mental health and cognitive function of children and adolescents. Methods: All interventional and observational studies that contained information on the relevant population (children and adolescents), intervention/exposures (high dietary fibre consumption) and outcomes (mental and cognitive parameters) were eligible. Eight electronic databases (Embase, Medline, Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched up to December 11, 2023. Results: A total of 15 studies (n = 4628) met inclusion criteria, consisting of 9 intervention trials and 6 observational studies. According to observational studies, higher dietary fibre consumption was associated with a 49% reduction in the odds of depression compared to lower intake (P < 0.0001; OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.69; I² = 0%). Furthermore, no significant correlations were found between dietary fibre consumption and intelligence or anxiety. Among intervention studies, no significant difference was observed between fibre supplementation and placebo in terms of anxiety (standardized mean difference (SMD): −0.23; 95% CI: −0.72, 0.27), stress (SMD: 0.03; 95% CI: −0.21, 0.28), memory (SMD: 0.46; 95% CI: −0.79, 1.71), or attention (SMD: −2.72; 95% CI: −6.30, 0.86). Conclusion: Evidence from observation studies demonstrated that higher dietary fibre consumption is associated with a decreased odds of depression symptoms, both in childhood and adolescence. However, the causal relationship between dietary fibre intake and mental and cognitive function in children and adolescents still requires further clarification through high-quality intervention studies in the future.

Given the worldwide epidemic of overweight and obesity among children, evidence-based dietary recommendations are fundamentally important for obesity prevention. Although the significance of the human gut microbiome in shaping the physiological effects of diet and obesity has been widely recognized, nutritional therapeutics for the mitigation of pediatric obesity globally are only just starting to leverage advancements in the nutritional microbiology field. In this review, we extracted data from PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CNKI, Cochrane Library and Wiley online library that focuses on the characterization of gut microbiota (including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea) in children with obesity. We further review host-microbe interactions as mechanisms mediating the physiological effects of dietary fibers and how fibers alter the gut microbiota in children with obesity. Contemporary nutritional recommendations for the prevention of pediatric obesity are also discussed from a gut microbiological perspective. Finally, we propose an experimental framework for integrating gut microbiota into nutritional interventions for children with obesity and provide recommendations for the design of future studies on precision nutrition for pediatric obesity.

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy has been proven beneficial to pregnant women, with a significant effect on ameliorating many severe gestational complications. This work aimed to reveal current research trends, hotspots, and future frontiers in PA during pregnancy. Methods: Software CiteSpace was used to perform a bibliometric analysis with 1415 publications in the Web of Science Core Collection. Results: the number of published papers on PA during pregnancy has increased gradually by year. The United States has made the most significant contribution to the research on this topic, ranking first in the world in both the number and centrality of research. A total of 54 articles (3.8%) were published in 2022. A majority of publications were research articles (n = 1176, 78.9%). The authors and institutions of the research published have more inter-country collaborations. Different patterns of PA, prevention, and amelioration of pregnancy complications are major research hotspots. Improvement of sedentary behaviour, lifestyle intervention through leisure-time PA, and preterm care are major research frontiers and have received extensive attention in recent years. Conclusions: The current scientometric study presents an overview of PA during pregnancy research conducted throughout the preceding decades. The conclusions of this work might serve as a reference for researchers who are interested in this field.

Background: An increasing number of observational studies suggest that physical activity (PA) before or during pregnancy may reduce the risks of adverse delivery, neonatal, and child health outcomes, but the results remain conflicted and inconclusive. Many pregnant women fail to follow PA guidelines, suggesting that there must be a synthesis of real-world evidence. Objective: To examine the influence of PA before and during pregnancy on delivery, neonatal, and child health outcomes. Methods: Ten electronic databases have been searched until December 17, 2024. All types of observational studies were included, except for case studies and reviews, as long as they had data on women before or during pregnancy, looked at PA (either measured or reported), compared it to low or no PA, and examined outcomes related to birth (like preterm birth, low birth weight, cesarean section, small-for-gestational-age, larger-for-gestational-age, macrosomia) and child health (like body mass index z -score, overweight, body fat mass, and cognitive development). Results: We included 79 observational studies ( N = 371,046). “Low” to “very low” certainty evidence revealed that compared with low levels of PA, high levels of PA before and during pregnancy were associated with a 13%–25% reduction in the odds of having a preterm delivery (before pregnancy: odds ratio (OR), 0.87 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79–0.97; I ² = 0%); during pregnancy: OR, 0.75 (95% CI, 0.68–0.82; I ² = 84%)). High levels of PA during pregnancy were also associated with reduced odds of having a cesarean section (OR, 0.73 (95% CI, 0.62–0.87; I ² = 89%)). Other outcomes were not associated with PA. To achieve at least a 10% reduction in the odds of preterm birth, pregnant women need to accumulate at least 216 MET·min·wk ⁻¹ of leisure time PA. Conclusions: Observational evidence suggests that higher PA levels before and during pregnancy may be associated with improved birth outcomes.