Nutrition During Pregnancy, Lactation and Early Childhood and its Implications for Maternal and Long-Term Child Health: The Early Nutrition Project Recommendations

Abstract

Background: A considerable body of evidence accumulated especially during the last decade, demonstrating that early nutrition and lifestyle have long-term effects on later health and disease (“developmental or metabolic programming”). Methods: Researchers involved in the European Union funded international EarlyNutrition research project consolidated the scientific evidence base and existing recommendations to formulate consensus recommendations on nutrition and lifestyle before and during pregnancy, during infancy and early childhood that take long-term health impact into account. Systematic reviews were performed on published dietary guidelines, standards and recommendations, with special attention to long-term health consequences. In addition, systematic reviews of published systematic reviews on nutritional interventions or exposures in pregnancy and in infants and young children aged up to 3 years that describe effects on subsequent overweight, obesity and body composition were performed. Experts developed consensus recommendations incorporating the wide-ranging expertise from additional 33 stakeholders. Findings: Most current recommendations for pregnant women, particularly obese women, and for young children do not take long-term health consequences of early nutrition into account, although the available evidence for relevant consequences of lifestyle, diet and growth patterns in early life on later health and disease risk is strong. Interpretation: We present updated recommendations for optimized nutrition before and during pregnancy, during lactation, infancy and toddlerhood, with special reference to later health outcomes. These recommendations are developed for affluent populations, such as women and children in Europe, and should contribute to the primary prevention of obesity and associated non-communicable diseases.

The Nutritional Behaviour of Pregnant Women in Poland

“…Metabolic shift in pregnancy is associated with the accumulation of energy reserves for the period of puerperium and lactation, and also provides the right amount of oxygen and nutrients for the child’s development [18]. …”

Association between maternal dietary acid load during the early pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications

“…[1] It is also supposed that nutritional and metabolic exposures during pregnancy have been lasting effects on health and develop a chronic disease in the offspring . [2] Maternal diet influences fetal growth not only by providing calorie and essential nutrients but also by other diet-related characteristics that may influence the outcomes of pregnancy, including dietary-acid load (DAL) . [3] DAL is an indicator of the amount of acid that can be produced in the body by foods .…”

Perinatal Resilience for the First 1,000 Days of Life. Concept Analysis and Delphi Survey

“…Biological and developmental functioning of the offspring are affected by genetics (conception) and by environmental influences such as maternal stress, nutritional state, and social network (O'Reilly and Reynolds, 2013). This critical period is seen as an important life phase in the prevention and development of chronic physical and mental disorders in adulthood and beyond, such as depression, (childhood) obesity, and cardiovascular diseases (Catalano and Shankar, 2017;Koletzko et al, 2019).…”