COPLANT study: Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers sought for participation in Berlin and Jena
What it's about:
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is collaborating with the University of Jena to investigate nutrient supply during pregnancy and breastfeeding. To this end, the COPLANT study's "Pregnancy and Breastfeeding" module is currently seeking participants in Berlin and Jena. In addition, the COPLANT study centre at the University of Vienna will also be participating in this module shortly. A total of around 400 pregnant women are to be included in the study by December 2027. COPLANT is the most comprehensive study on plant-based nutrition in the German-speaking world to date. This study module focuses on researching different diets during pregnancy and breastfeeding. "Whether vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian or mixed diet – nutrition today is more diverse than ever. We still know little about how plant-based diets of expectant mothers affect the development of their children," says Professor Dr Cornelia Weikert, head of the COPLANT study at the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. The "Pregnancy and Breastfeeding" study module aims to provide new insights into this area. There is also a lack of clear scientific data on the health effects: "Avoiding certain food groups can lead to nutrient deficiencies," explains Dr Christine Dawczynski, head of the COPLANT study at the University of Jena. "Our goal is to identify critical nutrients for each type of diet during these sensitive phases of life in order to derive individual recommendations that enable a needs-based intake of all nutrients."
Do you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet? Do you eat fish at least once a month and avoid meat or sausage, making you a pescetarian? Or do you eat meat or sausage almost every day? For the COPLANT study, the research teams in Jena and Berlin are looking for pregnant women in their third trimester who have been following one of the above diets for at least a year before becoming pregnant and are currently continuing to do so.
What is being studied?
The study programme consists of five appointments during the first two years of life. Data collection begins with two appointments during pregnancy (30th to 35th week of pregnancy). Here, extensive data is collected from the expectant mother about her eating habits and her nutritional and health status. At birth, the placenta is collected in order to analyse, among other things, the fatty acid distribution and to establish correlations between the supply of these important nutrients to the mother and her unborn child.
Follow-up examinations are scheduled for when the child is around 3–4 months old and on their second birthday. At these appointments, biological samples will again be collected from the mother (breast milk, blood, urine, stool) and extensive data on the nutritional habits of the mother and child will be collected. In addition, a urine sample and a stool sample will be collected from the child. Further data on the child will be taken from the child health record. Around the child's first birthday, information on the mother's and child's nutrition, health status and the child's development will also be collected via an online questionnaire.
Get involved!
Every participant is important for the success of the study. The more people take part, the more meaningful the results will be. Participants are therefore making an important contribution to research in the field of plant-based nutrition. They also receive information about their own health and that of their child. Further information on participation is available at External Link:https://www.coplant-studie.de/en/study-participation/pregnant-women-and-breastfeeding-mothers/.
Interested pregnant and breastfeeding women who would like to participate in the COPLANT study can contact one of the study centres:
German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin
Telephone: +49(0)30/184 12-550 11
Email: coplant@bfr.bund.de
Study centre of the Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Jena
Tel. +49(0)3641 / 949656
Email: coplant@uni-jena.de
Further information on the COPLANT study
Information on participation in the "kids/family" study module:
External Link:https://www.coplant-studie.de/en/study-participation/kids-and-family/
Questions and answers about the COPLANT study:
External Link:https://www.coplant-studie.de/en/coplant-study/frequently-asked-questions/
About the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.