Providing the appropriate quantity and quality of food needed for both the mother’s well-being and the healthy development of the offspring is crucial during pregnancy. However, the macro- and micronutrient intake also impacts the body’s regulatory supersystems of the mother, such as the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems, which ultimately influence the overall development of the offspring. Of particular importance is the association between unhealthy maternal diet and neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. Epidemiological studies have linked neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia, to maternal immune activation (MIA) during gestation. While the deleterious consequences of diet-induced MIA on offspring neurodevelopment are increasingly revealed, neuroinflammation is emerging as a key underlying mechanism. In this review, we compile the evidence available on how the mother and offspring are both impacted by maternal dietary imbalance. We specifically explore the various inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects of dietary components and discuss how changes in inflammatory status can prime the offspring brain development toward neurodevelopmental disorders. Lastly, we discuss research evidence on the mechanisms that sustain the relationship between maternal dietary imbalance and offspring brain development, involving altered neuroinflammatory status in the offspring, as well as genetic to cellular programming notably of microglia, and the evidence that the gut microbiome may act as a key mediator.

在怀孕期间，提供母亲的福祉和后代的健康发育所需的适当数量和质量的食物至关重要。然而，大量和微量营养素的摄入也会影响母亲身体的调节超级系统，例如免疫、内分泌和神经系统，最终影响后代的整体发育。特别重要的是不健康的母亲饮食与后代神经发育障碍之间的关联。流行病学研究已将自闭症谱系障碍、注意力缺陷多动障碍和精神分裂症等神经发育障碍与妊娠期间母体免疫激活 (MIA) 联系起来。虽然饮食引起的 MIA 对后代神经发育的有害后果越来越多地被揭示，但神经炎症正在成为一个关键的潜在机制。在这篇综述中，我们汇编了有关母亲饮食不平衡如何影响母亲和后代的现有证据。我们特别探索了饮食成分的各种炎症和抗炎作用，并讨论了炎症状态的变化如何促进后代大脑发育，导致神经发育障碍。最后，我们讨论了维持母亲饮食不平衡与后代大脑发育之间关系的机制的研究证据，涉及后代神经炎症状态的改变，以及遗传到细胞编程，特别是小胶质细胞，以及肠道微生物组可能发挥作用的证据作为关键的调解人。