Nutrition during pregnancy

Nutrition and pregnancy refers to the nutrient intake, and dietary planning that is undertaken before, during and after pregnancy. Nutrition of the fetus begins at conception. For this reason, the nutrition of the mother is important from before conception (probably several months before) as well as throughout pregnancy and breast feeding. An ever-increasing number of studies have shown that the nutrition of the mother will have an effect on the child, up to and including the risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes throughout life. Nutrition and pregnancy refers to the nutrient intake, and dietary planning that is undertaken before, during and after pregnancy. Nutrition of the fetus begins at conception. For this reason, the nutrition of the mother is important from before conception (probably several months before) as well as throughout pregnancy and breast feeding. An ever-increasing number of studies have shown that the nutrition of the mother will have an effect on the child, up to and including the risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes throughout life. An inadequate or excessive amount of some nutrients may cause malformations or medical problems in the fetus, and neurological disorders and handicaps are a risk that is run by mothers who are malnourished. An estimated 24% of babies worldwide are born with lower than optimal weights at birth due to lack of proper nutrition. Personal habits such as consumption of alcohol or large amounts of caffeine can negatively and irreversibly affect the development of the baby, which happens in the early stages of pregnancy. Caffeine consumption during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of pregnancy loss. The available research favors the notion that the benefits of fish consumption during pregnancy outweigh the risks; however, the type of fish is important. Folic acid, which is the synthetic form of the vitamin folate, is critical both in pre-and peri-conception. As with most diets, there are chances of over-supplementing, however, as general advice, both state and medical recommendations are that mothers follow instructions listed on particular vitamin packaging as to the correct or recommended daily allowance (RDA). Daily prenatal use of iron substantially improves birth weight, potentially reducing the risk of Low birth weight. The United States and the European Union have established vitamin and mineral recommendations for during pregnancy and lactation. The amounts in the table below are the higher of the two. The citations separately list recommendations for pregnancy and lactation. Recommendations (RDAs = Recommended Dietary Allowances and PRIs = Population Reference Intakes) are set higher than what has been determined to be average requirements so as to address women who have above average needs. For some nutrients there is not enough information to set a recommendation, so the term Adequate Intake (AI) is used based on what appears to be sufficient. *Adequate Intake†Not established. EU has not identified an AI for sodium or chloride, and does not consider chromium to be an essential mineral nutrient. Multiple micronutrient supplements taken with iron and folic acid may improve birth outcomes for women in low income countries. These supplements reduce numbers of low birth weight babies, small for gestational age babies and stillbirths in women who may not have many micronutrients in their usual diets. Undernourished women can benefit from having dietary education sessions and, balanced energy and protein supplements. A review showed that dietary education increased the mother’s protein intake and helped the baby grow more inside the womb. The balanced protein and energy supplement lowered risk of stillbirth and small babies and increased weight gain for both the mother and baby. Although more research is needed into the longer term effects on the mothers’ and infants’ health, the short term effects look promising. Supplementing one's diet with foods rich in folic acid, fruits and dark green leafy vegetables helps to prevent neural tube birth defects in the fetus. In addition, prenatal vitamins typically contain increased amounts of folic acid, iodine, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, and calcium over the amounts found in standard multi-vitamins. Zinc supplements have reduced preterm births by around 14% mainly in low income countries where zinc deficiency is common. However, the World Health Organisation does not routinely recommend zinc supplementation for all pregnant women. For women with low calcium diets, there is low quality evidence to suggest that calcium supplementation during pregnancy may reduce the risk of preeclampsia. Low-quality evidence also suggests that calcium supplementation may reduce the risk of the mother having the baby before 37th week of pregnancy (preterm birth). The protective effect of calcium supplementation is not clear and there is not enough good quality to research to suggest best doses and timing of calcium supplementation.