Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38796843›Full record

ArticleNutrition reviews2025

Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Preeclampsia: A Scoping Review.

Heather J Zhao, Yingan Chen, Tiange Liu, Kristen McArthur, Noel T Mueller

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrition reviews, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Heather J ZhaoDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
Yingan ChenLifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, United States.
Tiange LiuDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2486-8691
Kristen McArthurDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
Noel T MuellerDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-7412-8352

Funding

PILOT STUDY--SUBSTRATE METABOLISM IN EXTREMELY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTSP30DK048520 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI JANINE A HIGGINS · 1995 to 2026
$32.6M
Effects of Dietary Patterns and Sodium Intake on the Gut Microbiome and MetabolomeR01HL166473 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI NOEL T MUELLER · 2023 to 2026
$2.4M
The Effects of Diet on the Gut Microbiome and Short Chain Fatty AcidsK01HL141589 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI MUELLER, NOEL T · 2018 to 2022
$845k
NHLBI NIH HHS K01 HL141589NHLBI NIH HHS K01HL141589NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL166473NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK048520
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPreeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-associated hypertension disorder with high morbidity and mortality. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-molecules produced by gut microbes-have been associated with hypertension, yet their relation to PE remains uncertain.

objectivesThe aim was to review existing human studies that examined associations of the major SCFAs (acetate, propionate, butyrate) in pregnancy with PE development.

methodsTwo reviewers independently searched online databases (EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) in January 2024 using the following terms: "short-chain fatty acids," "acetic acid," "butyric acid," "propionic acid," and "preeclampsia." The final set of included studies had to report associations of SCFAs with PE, be peer-reviewed, be written in English, and be conducted in humans.

resultsThe abstracts of 907 studies were screened; 43 underwent full-text screening and 11 (1318 total participants, 352 with PE) were included in the final review. All studies used a case-control design. SCFAs were measured in a range of biospecimens (eg, serum, plasma, feces, placentas, and amniotic fluid) that were collected at distinct time points in pregnancy. All 7 studies that investigated butyrate found that it was lower in PE cases than in controls, with 6 of these showing statistical significance (P < .05). Five studies showed that acetate was significantly lower in individuals with PE compared with healthy individuals, while 1 study found that acetate was significantly higher in PE cases. One study reported significantly higher propionate among PE cases vs controls, while 2 studies reported significantly lower propionate levels in PE cases. The nuance in results for acetate and propionate may owe to reasons such as differences in distributions of population characteristics associated with SCFA level and PE or type of PE (early vs late).

conclusionCurrent epidemiologic evidence, which derives only from case-control studies, suggests that SCFAs, particularly butyrate (protective), in pregnancy are related to the development of PE. Large-cohort studies are warranted to investigate the temporality and potential causality of these associations.

Indexed as

Fatty Acids, VolatilePre-EclampsiaFemaleGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansPregnancyFatty Acids, Volatileacetatebutyratepreeclampsiapropionateshort-chain fatty acids

Identifiers

PMID38796843
PMCPMC11723139

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.