Maternal Diet During Pregnancy and Offspring Health: Current Evidence on Dietary Patterns, Microbiota, and Developmental Programming

Background/Objectives: Maternal nutrition is an important exogenous factor which, together with other factors, may play a fundamental role in ensuring the well-being of the pregnant woman and in the development of the offspring, with long-term effects on health. Therefore, this narrative review aims to synthesize current evidence on how maternal dietary patterns and nutrient intake during pregnancy affect maternal well-being, pregnancy outcomes, fetal growth, and the short- and long-term health of the child, while addressing research gaps, and implications for antenatal nutrition guidance. Literature Search Strategy and Study Selection: A comprehensive literature search was performed using the electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar. The selection and curation of articles were guided by the central research question: “How does maternal diet during pregnancy influence maternal health and offspring outcomes?” Results: The analysis of the literature reveals that the overall maternal dietary pattern is more important than the isolated intake of nutrients in determining the course of pregnancy and the long-term health of the offspring. Conclusions: The present review pointed out that maternal nutrition is not merely energy support for pregnancy, but a factor in fetal programming with a long-term impact on the child, in line with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept, and may act as an epigenetic and metabolic influence with potential transgenerational effects. Optimizing the diet in the periconceptional period and during pregnancy represents an accessible and effective form of preventive intervention, but it requires personalized recommendations and structured nutritional education begun as early as the preconception period.