Review: The Protective Impact of Supplementation and Exercise against Maternal Malnutrition: Environment as a Key Determinant of Health or Disease.

Maternal malnutrition is a critical global public health issue with profound implications for offspring development. Epidemiological and experimental studies, based on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), highlight its long-term adverse effects. On the other hand, maternal supplementation and/or physical exercise can mitigate the adverse effects of MPR, highlighting the importance of considering the environment to which the mother is exposed and how it can be modulated, even in the face of a negative dietary condition. In contrast, the postnatal environment may be as important as or even more important than the maternal environment, elucidating the potential for reversing the impact of maternal malnutrition through adequate diets, supplementation, and physical exercise. Therefore, this review focused mainly on maternal protein restriction (MPR) during pregnancy and lactation versus offspring supplementation or physical exercise in postnatal life. Some data do not support that some postnatal diets may be beneficial against MPR, however, others suggest that supplementation of some components (e.g. taurine, folic acid) and/or physical exercise seem to improve metabolic and systemic conditions in offspring, mainly associated with neuroendocrine action. Therefore, this review supports the importance of maternal nutrition during critical periods of development and postnatal mechanisms that mitigate the potential risk of developing diseases during adulthood and aging in the descendants.