Probiotics as functional food ingredients for interventions in hyperlipidemia during pregnancy: applications, mechanisms, impacts and challenges

Probiotics exhibit excellent effects in the prevention and adjuvant treatment of a variety of diseases. Although clinical treatments of hyperlipidemia in pregnant women are effective, their side effects should not be ignored; therefore, probiotics appear as a promising alternative that has fewer side effects and is more cost-effective than drugs. However, the existing reviews lack a systematic analysis of probiotics as functional food ingredients in this context. Unlike previous reviews, herein, we focus on the food-mediated mechanisms of action of probiotics in alleviating hyperlipidemia in pregnant women and then reveal strain-specific functionalities within food carriers, synergistic effects with bioactive compounds and transgenerational impacts on fetal development and breast milk quality. Besides, we discuss some of the challenges in validating the safety of probiotics, individualized applications, lack of clinical guidelines and combining them with food, as well as some potential solutions to address these challenges. This review aims to provide a theoretical basis and new solutions for the development of relevant probiotic preparations and functional foods, as well as to advance dietary interventions for hyperlipidemia in pregnant women.