Peer-reviewed article
The role of climate change in maternal nutrition and fetal development: a narrative review.
Atika Musa, Mustapha Umar Imam, Kasimu Ghandi Ibrahim, Kasimu Saidu ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This review examines how climate change disrupts food systems and reduces maternal nutrition, with consequences for fetal development and child health. Environmental stressors from climate change compromise dietary quality and micronutrient availability, particularly affecting low-income regions already struggling with malnutrition. The effects operate partly through epigenetic mechanisms that may influence disease risk across generations. The review identifies climate impacts on agriculture, food insecurity, temperature extremes, and air pollution as key pathways harming maternal and fetal health. It calls for longitudinal studies and integrated nutrition-environment frameworks to guide public health responses.
Key points
- Climate change disrupts food systems and reduces availability of essential micronutrients for pregnant women, particularly in low-income regions
- Environmental stressors compromise dietary quality and exacerbate malnutrition outcomes in mothers and offspring
- Climate-driven health effects are mediated through epigenetic mechanisms that may have lasting impacts across generations
- Temperature extremes and air pollution are identified as additional pathways through which climate change affects pregnancy outcomes
- The review calls for longitudinal, population-specific studies and integrated nutrition-environment frameworks to inform interventions
Limitations
This is a narrative review that synthesizes existing literature rather than presenting original empirical data, so it cannot quantify the magnitude of climate impacts on maternal nutrition or fetal outcomes. The document does not specify which countries or populations have been studied, limiting understanding of geographic variation in vulnerability.
Abstract
Climate change, driven by both natural processes and anthropogenic activities, exerts profound effects on atmospheric and environmental conditions. Maternal nutrition plays a critical role in fetal growth, development, and pregnancy outcomes; thus, disruptions in food systems caused by climate change pose significant risks to maternal and child health, particularly in low-income regions already burdened by malnutrition. Environmental stressors associated with climate change can compromise dietary quality and reduce the availability of essential micronutrients, thereby exacerbating adverse health outcomes in mothers and their offspring. Many of these outcomes are mediated through epigenetic mechanisms, suggesting that climate change may indirectly influence the epigenetic programming of diseases across generations. Understanding these links is crucial for elucidating how climate-driven alterations in maternal nutrition contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes and long-term metabolic disorders in offspring. This narrative review examines the epigenetic implications of climate change on maternal nutrition and fetal development. It explores the impact of climate variability on agricultural productivity and nutrient composition, the consequences of food insecurity for maternal and neonatal health, and the influence of temperature extremes and air pollution on pregnancy outcomes. The review also discusses potential mitigation and adaptation strategies to reduce climate-induced risks to maternal and fetal health. Ultimately, climate change threatens maternal and fetal well-being by diminishing food quality and micronutrient availability, with enduring effects mediated through epigenetic pathways. Addressing these challenges requires longitudinal, population-specific studies and integrated nutrition-environment frameworks to inform effective public health interventions and policy responses.