Dietary habits and vaginal environment: can a beneficial impact be expected?

In reproductive-aged women, a vaginal microbiota dominated by several Lactobacillus species is crucial for maintaining vaginal health. Among the various factors affecting the composition of the vaginal ecosystem, the impact of dietary habits has rarely been explored. Thus, in this cross-sectional st...

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Published in:Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology Vol. 15; p. 1582283
Main Authors: Djusse, Marielle Ezekielle, Prinelli, Federica, Camboni, Tania, Ceccarani, Camilla, Consolandi, Clarissa, Conti, Silvia, Dall’Asta, Margherita, Danesi, Francesca, Laghi, Luca, Curatolo, Francesco Matteo, Morselli, Sara, Foschi, Claudio, Castellano, Paola, Marangoni, Antonella, Severgnini, Marco
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media SA 18.06.2025
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects:
Adult
Antibiotics
Bacteria - classification
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteria - isolation & purification
Carbohydrates
Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diagnostic tests
Diet
Feeding Behavior
Female
Food intake
Food sources
Genomes
Humans
Infections
Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus - classification
Lactobacillus - genetics
Lactobacillus - isolation & purification
Linolenic acid
macronutrients
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Marital status
metabolome
Microbiota
Pregnancy
Questionnaires
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics
rRNA 16S
Spectrum analysis
Taxonomy
Vagina
Vagina - microbiology
vaginal microbiota
Womens health
women’s health
Young Adult
France
United States > US
Italy
macronutrients
vaginal microbiota
women’s health
diet
metabolome
ISSN:2235-2988, 2235-2988
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Summary:In reproductive-aged women, a vaginal microbiota dominated by several Lactobacillus species is crucial for maintaining vaginal health. Among the various factors affecting the composition of the vaginal ecosystem, the impact of dietary habits has rarely been explored. Thus, in this cross-sectional study, we assessed the role of macronutrient intake on the vaginal microbiota in a cohort of 113 young women, independently from potential confounders. For each subject, we characterized (i) the vaginal bacterial community-state type (CST) by 16S rRNA gene profiling, (ii) the vagina lmetabolic profile by 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and (iii) the energy, nutrient and alcohol intake through a validated food frequency questionnaire. We found that the increase in animal protein intake, mainly derived from red and processed meat, was positively associated with the dysbiotic condition of CST IV and, similarly, alcohol consumption was significantly associated with the levels of Gardnerella spp. and Ureaplasma spp. On the other hand, we noticed a beneficial effect of a-linolenic acid, with its increase inversely associated with CST III, dominated by the 'less-protective' species Lactobacillus iners. Moreover, linolenic acid was related to the abundance of Lactobacillus crispatus, in turn related tovarious vaginal metabolites such as 4-hydroxyphenyllactate and several amino acids. Total carbohydrates, vegetable proteins, total fiber, and starch were negatively correlated with Gardnerella spp. We highlighted that specific dietary habits (i.e., reduced consumption of alcohol and animal proteins, higher intake of linolenic acid) can have a beneficial impact on the vaginal environment, through the maintenance of a microbiota mainly dominated by 'protective' Lactobacillus species.
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Edited by: Leonardo Mancabelli, University of Parma, Italy
Marcelo Rodriguez Fermepin, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Reviewed by: Andrea Carolina Entrocassi, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
These authors have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship
These authors have contributed equally to this work and share last authorship
ISSN:2235-2988
2235-2988
DOI:10.3389/fcimb.2025.1582283