Opportunities and Challenges for Precision Nutrition in Gestational Obesity Management

This review summarizes current knowledge on precision nutrition in gestational obesity management and outlines priorities for future research and implementation. We summarize evidence on key factors (i.e., observable traits, social determinants of health, behavioral factors, clinical biomarkers, tissue-specific features, molecular-level data) that can be assessed and targeted within a precision nutrition approach for managing gestational obesity. Recent studies highlight obesity classes, behavioral-metabolic obesity phenotyping (hungry brain, emotional hunger, hungry gut) and the maternal metabolic milieu as interesting targets. Women’s and healthcare professionals’ (end-users) needs and perceptions as well as digital infrastructure requirements need further exploration. There is promise for more precision-based nutrition in optimizing gestational obesity management moving away from current one-size-fits all approaches. However, additional research is required to determine appropriate precision‑based nutrition approaches, evaluate their efficacy and cost‑effectiveness, and develop strategies for their implementation in routine care.