Energy and nutrients in self-reported diet before and at week 18–22 of pregnancy

Abstract

BackgroundA satisfactory nutritional status, as a result of optimal food intake, before conception and during pregnancy, is important for a successful pregnancy.ObjectiveTo evaluate the energy and nutrient intake before conception and at mid-gestation in a group of pregnant women (n=50) in relation to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR).DesignPre-pregnant diet was studied by an 84-item food-frequency questionnaire and mid-gestational diet by repeated 24 h dietary recalls.ResultsAverage requirements (AR) were met for all nutrients except for selenium intake before pregnancy. Absolute intakes were below recommended intake (RI) according to NNR for folate, vitamin D, selenium, vitamin E and iron both before and at mid-gestation. However, intakes were still above the lower intake levels (LI) defined by NNR for almost all women. Twenty-three women were below LI for selenium before pregnancy and five for each of vitamin D and selenium at mid-gestation. When expressed as nutrient densities (amount of nutrient per energy unit), intakes were below NNR for folate, vitamin D and selenium before pregnancy, and for folate, vitamin D and iron at mid-gestation. Intakes were adjusted for underreporting, estimated to 20% as revealed after comparing energy intake/basal metabolic rate with grouped physical activity level values.ConclusionsThe reported food intake satisfied the recommended level of intake according to AR, but when using RI for planning a diet as a reference, folate, vitamin D, selenium and iron intake were insufficient. Most striking were the low levels of folate and vitamin D intake both before pregnancy and at mid-gestation.

Dietary Protein Intake, Meat Consumption, and Dairy Consumption in the Year Preceding Pregnancy and During Pregnancy and Their Associations With the Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Cohort Study in Southwest China

“…Compared to the dietary protein intake before pregnancy, a clear increase was seen in pregnancy, especially it in the 2nd trimester, among our sample. This is in line with the data from Sweden women ( n = 50) ( 35 ) (14.4% of energy vs. 16.8% of energy) and Portugal mother ( n = 249) ( 34 ) (17.6% of energy vs. 18.4% of energy). In addition, our finding of the main dietary source of protein are broadly consistent with that observed among British in The Southampton Women's Survey ( n = 1,490) and Hungarian women ( n = 349) ( 33 , 36 ).…”

“…However, individual dietary protein intake level may change during pregnancy ( 32 ). An increase in the intake of protein rich foods during pregnancy was reported in UK ( 33 ), Portugal ( 34 ), Switzerland ( 35 ), Hungary ( 36 ), and Asia ( 37 ), especially a remarkable increase in protein intake during mid-pregnancy was observed among Portuguese ( 34 ) and Swedes ( 35 ). In terms of public health, it would thus be intriguing to clarify whether there is a critical time window for dietary protein intake, taking into consideration pre-pregnancy intake and intake across the two pregnancy trimesters preceding the diagnosis of GDM.…”

Socioeconomic status and intake of energy and sodium are associated with calcium intake among pregnant women in Rafsanjan city, Iran

“…13,14,33 In developing countries, especially Asia and Africa, calcium intake is inadequate when milk and dairy products are absent in the daily diets or not habitually consumed. 27,34,35 In developed countries, 18,19,36 despite the lower calcium intake than recommended, the calcium intake is higher than those in developing countries. The differences in calcium intake could be due to different nutritional habits of the population of developing and developed countries.…”

Longitudinal changes in energy balance during pregnancy in South African women from the Tlokwe Municipal area

“…Therefore, the belief that increasing dietary energy intake will lead to an improved pregnancy outcome has no evidence-base [3,14]. Energy intake guidelines should, therefore, be individually adjusted to meet variations in basal metabolic rate, body composition before and during pregnancy, gestational weight gain and physical activity [15].…”