The Lifelines NEXT is a major study into the course of pregnancy and the health of mother and child

The Lifelines Next prospective birth cohort is an extension of the existing well-known population-based Lifelines cohort running in the Netherlands. In Lifelines Next, future mothers (already enrolled in the Lifelines cohort as well as new participants) will be followed during pregnancy, and their infants will be followed until adulthood. Data from the Lifelines NEXT cohort will be used to identify the major perinatal drivers of development during infancy.

In the Nestlé NEXT study data from the starting Lifelines NEXT cohort will be used to increase knowledge on the impact of the breast milk composition on the gut microbiota, correlated with physiological outcomes such as growth & development, immune and gut health and cognitive development. The major drivers (e.g. gut microbiota , breast milk, components such as HMO’s and maternal mood status) of colic, constipation, allergy and early cognitive development during infancy will be identified.