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May 23, 2012 |
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Nutrition and pregnancy refers to the nutrient intake, and dietary planning that is undertook before, during and after pregnancy. All dietary advice relating to pregnancy-related nutrition is noted by Mary E. Barasi as one of the major factors in determining the future well-being of a child conceived, some factors of a diet are even noted to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality due to helping the supply of nutrients to the mother. ref|mary_e_barasi In a precursory study into the link between nutrition and pregnancy in 1950 showed that women who consumed minimal amounts over the eight week period had a higher mortality or disorder rate into their offspring than women who ate regularly had a much lesser rate, because children born with well-fed mothers had less restriction within the womb. ref|rasmussen_k Not only have physical disorders been linked with ill-nutrition before and during pregnancy, but neurological disorders and handicaps are a risk that is run by mothers who are ill-nourished, a condition which can also lead to the child becoming more susceptible to later degenerative disease(s). ref|mary_e_barasi The following sections refer to the pertinence of nutrition throughout pregnancy, and are thoroughly researched enough to be usable for mothers or couples planning on conceiving. Factors mitigating against pre-pregnancy nutrition It is known that nutrition before pregnancy is important because of the amount of "resources" childbirth requires. The process of pre-pregnancy nutrition is a process of "building up" the immune system in preparation of pregnancy, and is known as being one of the major benefactors in determining the success rate of conceiving healthy children. As with most situations, the most important factor in pre-pregnancy nutrition is ensuring that the mother is healthy and without any major factors which could worsen the chances of conceiving, factors such as anorexia nervosa|anorexia or bulimia nervosa|bulimia are thought to be direct links with infertility; the minimum body mass index for conceiving mothers being 20.8. This is also seen to be true with obese women with a BMI above 30 which is a direct result of decrementing amounts of insulin activity and sex hormones may reduce the viability of the ovum. The ideal range of weight for women wishing to conceive children is thought to be optimal at body mass indexes between 20 and 26. If this, again, is used in conjunction with good nutrition and diet before pregnancy in terms of a normal balanced diet, then reserves of micronutrients, providing materials for pregnancy, would also be maximised.ref|mary_e_barasi
Major benefactors in pre-pregnancy diets 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).
Factors mitigating against nutrition during pregnancy As it is known, the embryo at conception, and in the subsequent weeks afterwards is the time when it is at its most vulnerable, as it is the time when the organs and systems develop within. The energy used to create these systems comes from the energy and nutrients in the mother's circulation, and around the lining of the womb, such is the reason why correct nutrient intake during pregnancy is so important. During the early stages of pregnancy, the placenta is not formed yet, so there is no mechanism to protect the embryo from the deficiencies which may be inherent in the mother's circulation, so it is critical that the correct amount of nutrients and energy are consumed. One problem that was found in trials with pregnant women is that deficiencies in folic acid contributed towards neural tube defection; women who had 4 mg of folic acid in their systems due to supplementing 3 months before childbirth significantly reduced the risk of NTD within the fetus. This is now advocated by the UK department of health, recommending 400 ??g per day of folic acid. Intake of Retinol, in extreme cases, has been linked to birth defects and abnormalities. However, regular intake of Retinol is not seen as dangerous. It is noted that a 100 g serving of liver may contain a large amount of retinol, so it is best that it is not eaten daily during pregnancy, something which is also the same with alcohol intake in binge drinking. As with any health diet, alcohol is recommended in small amounts, no more than 15 units per week being the recommendation by the British Medical Society, particularly because excessive amounts of alcohol have been proven to cause birth defects and malformations of the face, heart, brain, and has even been linked to reduced mental capacity. Beneficial factors against pre-pregnancy nutrition During pregnancy, the most important factor could be seen as the amount of fat content within the woman when in the early stages of pregnancy. It is recommended, again that women who may be obese, should lose fat before trying to conceive a baby due to the infertility related to obesity. Again, research has shown that women who have had optimal fat stores, and who were well-supplemented, had a much lessened experience in childbirth in regards to the energy and effort required during metabolic changes within the body, which was noted by monitoring leptin levels during pregnancy. Recommended nutrients during pregnancy
Importance Proper nutrition is important after delivery to help the body recover, and to provide enough food energy and nutrients for a woman who chooses to Breastfeeding|breastfeed her child. #note|mary_e_barasi Barasi, E. M., (2003) Human Nutrition - A Health Perspective . London : Arnold Publishing (ISBN 0-304-81025-4) #note|rasmussen_k Rasmussen, K. M., (1992) The influence of maternal nutrition on lactation . Annual review of Nutrition 12, p103-117 #note|DOH UK Department of Health (1991) Dietary reference values for food energy and nutrients for the United Kingdom. - Report on Health and social Subjects No 41. report of the Panel on Dietary Reference Values of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy London:HMSO #note|HEAHealth Education Authority (1996) Folic acid - what all women should know (leaflet) London:HEA
Category:Nutrition Category:Pregnancy Category:Articles with invalid ISBNs This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nutrition and pregnancy".
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