Zinc nutriture of women living in a periurban Egyptian village was examined over the last 6 mo of pregnancy and the first 6 mo of lactation as one of several potential determinants of pregnancy outcome and infant development. Estimated bioavailable zinc intake was approximately 2 mg/d from diets high in phytate and fiber. Among numerous variables analyzed by multiple regression, early pregnancy weight (3 mo) and plasma zinc concentrations in the second trimester formed the best predictor model of birth weight, accounting for 39% of the variance. Bioavailable zinc intake during pregnancy was part of a profile of micronutrient intakes related to neonatal habituation behavior, a measure of early information processing. Performance on the Bayley motor test at 6 mo of age was negatively related to maternal intakes of plant zinc, phytate, and fiber, suggesting that zinc bioavailability was involved. Maternal dietary intake explained most of the variance observed in infant motor performance; however, predictive variance was amplified by the psychosocial context.

Several potential determinants of birth weight and neonatal behavioral organization, ie, maternal anthropometry, food intake (energy, protein, and plant- and animal-source foods), morbidity, and household socioeconomic status, were followed systematically in a semirural Egyptian population during greater than or equal to 6 mo of pregnancy. In early pregnancy mothers were generally normal weight to moderately overweight. Their mean energy intake, largely from plant sources, was approximately 8.37 MJ/d (2000 kcal/d) during trimesters 2 and 3. Early (3 mo) pregnancy weight and weight gain during trimesters 2 and 3 were significantly positively related to birth weight Z scores. The best predictor model examined for birth weight included early pregnancy weight, weight gain, and length of gestation (R2 = 0.45). Early pregnancy weight and maternal intake of animal-source foods were significant positive predictors of the newborn's orientation and habituation behavior, respectively. Habituation and orientation measures assess the infant's early ability to process information.

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