One of my biggest fears as a mom with Crohn’s disease is that one day my children will inherit the disease. It’s a worry that crosses my mind more than I would like to admit. Whether my son tells me his tummy randomly hurts or if my daughter seems to have several number two diapers one day, my mind instantly goes to that thought. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. When it comes to research about pregnancy and IBD, the information is starting to come to fruition, but is lacking. There is still so much gray area.

UMass Medical School and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai are on a mission to improve the health potential of babies born to IBD moms. Their research team is launching a clinical trial for 200 women in the United States right now that involves diet intervention in the third trimester of pregnancy. The trial is called the MELODY Trial (Modulating Early Life Microbiome through Dietary Intervention in Crohn’s disease).

Barbara Olendzki, RD, MPH, LDN is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Nutrition Program Director of the Center for Applied Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is involved in research and clinical care, and she created the IBD Anti-Inflammatory Diet which is being investigated through the MELODY Trial. Barbara explains how through the MELODY Trial, the team is aiming to intervene in the transmission of a pro-inflammatory microbiome from women with Crohn’s to their babies.

“Accumulating evidence suggests that maternal health and diet during pregnancy and early life have an impact on the baby’s microbiome composition and immune system development, with long-term health consequences, including establishing predisposition to Crohn’s disease and other immune-mediated diseases. By modulating the maternal microbiome during pregnancy through diet, our team of researchers hope to promote healthier immune system development in infants born to mothers with Crohn’s disease.”

Why the microbiome plays a key role

The microbiome refers to the communities of microorganisms, including viruses, fungi, and bacteria, living on and in the human body. Recently, altered microbiome in early life has been linked to the risk of developing asthma, eczema, allergy, autism, type 1 diabetes and other myriad of immune-mediated diseases.  Barbara says the team’s preliminary data demonstrates that babies born to mothers with IBD have a higher abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria and depletion of beneficial bacteria for up to at least 3 months of age, compared to controls.

“Babies born to mothers with Crohn’s Disease are at a substantially increased risk of developing the disease. Specifically, compared with individuals with no family history, the risk of Crohn’s in first degree relatives of a patient with Crohn’s disease is ~8-fold higher.”

Babies born to mothers with IBD have less diversity of beneficial microbiome than healthy controls, and higher levels of calprotectin, an inflammatory marker common in Crohn’s disease.

How the MELODY Trial will work

The MELODY Trial will test whether a non­invasive diet intervention implemented during the third trimester of pregnancy can beneficially shift the microbiome in patients with Crohn’ s disease and in their babies. This study’s goal is to determine if manipulation of the mother’s microbiome, through diet, would benefit their baby. The diet aims to promote a healthier immune system during a critical time of immune system development.

The study targets the third trimester specifically, as this is when certain changes occur with mom and baby to get the baby ready for birth. The baby is thought to share more of the mom’s microbiome at this time, making the final 12 weeks of pregnancy the most opportune time to beneficially influence the baby’s early formation of their microbiome.

“Diet is a wonderful way to change the microbiome! Specifically, the IBD-AID (IBD-anti-inflammatory diet) incorporates the avoidance of certain carbohydrates and emphasizes the importance of modifying fatty acids. The IBD-AID also supports inclusion of fruit and vegetables (to achieve optimal nutrient intake, targeting phytosterols, antioxidants, and other plant-based anti-inflammatory components). The diet is presented in three phases, according to each patient’s tolerance, digestive and absorptive capacity,” said Barbara.

In addition, the IBD-AID includes foods with pre- and probiotic properties. Prebiotics are foods (typically nondigestible fiber) that favor the growth of beneficial bacteria colonizing the colon. Probiotics include a variety of fermented foods containing live active bacteria. Each woman who chooses to change their diet receives counseling from nutritionists in the study.

How to enroll and participate in the MELODY Trial

The research team is looking for both healthy controls and women with Crohn’s disease. The MELODY Trial is a national study; anyone living in the continental United States can participate. Whether you’re on medication, in remission, or experiencing active disease—this study is open to everyone.

The study will include 200 women over the next two years. If you are not yet pregnant but are planning a pregnancy, you can also get in touch with the study team now, and then start participating once you are pregnant.

Women who are interested in participating should contact the study team at themelodytrial@gmail.com or by calling 347-620-0210. You can also register to be contacted by our team by filling out this form: https://www.umassmed.edu/nutrition/melody-trial-info/

Participants will be compensated $200, which is paid in installments throughout the study period. Participation begins in the third trimester of pregnancy and involves stool, saliva, vaginal swab, cord blood, and breast milk sample collections as well as health history questionnaires and diet assessments. There is no cost or travel required.

“We will send participants thorough instructions about how to collect and ship each sample. We also provide all the tools needed to collect and ship samples. All stool, saliva, breast milk, and infant diaper samples will be collected at home by participants. Vaginal swab and umbilical cord blood samples will be collected by doctors, midwives, or other trained health care professionals. We will coordinate directly with your provider, or we will give you the tools and instructions needed to coordinate with them directly.”

From one IBD mama to another: My call of action to you

As a mom with Crohn’s who has been pregnant three times and who has two kids ages 2.5 and 10 months, I can’t reiterate enough the importance of participating in research like this.

Not only are you benefiting your baby, but you’re contributing to research that helps paint a clearer picture of what we can do to lower the incidence of IBD in future generations. Results from the study are expected to be complete and ready for sharing in three years. Let’s join together and help push this research along so future women and families have greater peace of mind and understanding as they bring life into this world.