Fermented Millet Porridge for Maternal Gut Health in Rural Burkina Faso

Laeticia Celine Toe of Institut de Recherches en Sciences de la Santé in Burkina Faso will evaluate the nutritional content of traditionally-fermented millet porridge and its effects on gut health and inflammation in women of reproductive age in rural Burkina Faso. Maternal undernutrition affects child survival and is a major problem in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. This could be addressed by enhancing the nutritional content of common foods, which can be done by fermentation. They will provide a selection of households with locally-produced millet grain for fermenting, and collect samples every five days to evaluate the nutritional and microbial contents. They will also recruit a cohort of 30 women, including 15 pregnant women, to assess the effects of daily fermented millet porridge consumption on fecal microbiota composition, fatty acid levels, and inflammatory markers.