Candice Quin received the CIHR Canadian Graduate Scholarship  – Masters’s (CGS M) for her project titled “Fish Oil Supplementation to Maternal Diets Rich in Unsaturated Fats Increase Offspring Susceptibility to Infectious Colitis”.

Summary:
Clinical evidence is conflicting on the beneficial outcomes of fish oil supplementation during pregnancy and its effects on the offspring. It is unknown how fish oil supplementation impacts the offspring’s gut microbiome and immunity. Considering that diet influences microbiota and maternal microbiota is passed from mother to infant, we hypothesize that maternal fish oil supplementation will affect their offspring’s gut microbiota and immunity. To approach this, I will investigate gut microbiota and immune responses during infectious colitis from the offspring of mothers fed various fat diets supplemented with fish oil. This research could result in strategies to manage immune susceptibility by regulating maternal dietary intake during gestation and breastfeeding.

Amount:
$17,500 over 12 month