Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T07:52:11.274Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pregnancy as a time for dietary change?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

Annie S. Anderson
Annie S. Anderson*
Affiliation:
Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK
*
Corresponding Author: Professor Annie S. Anderson, fax +44 1382 496452, email a.s.anderson@dundee.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

It is thought that nutrition during pregnancy plays a key role in the well-being of the mother and the newborn infant, and further influences health during childhood and adulthood. Pregnancy is a time of increased nutritional requirements, but many of these requirements will be met by adaptive physiological changes that occur during gestation, with little need to alter maternal dietary intake. A modest increment of food which provides 0.8 MJ/d (above prepregnant requirements) during the third trimester is considered adequate to meet the needs of fetal and maternal growth, and to satisfy the small increase in requirements of many macro- and micronutrients. However, requirements for vitamin D and folic acid increase substantially, and should be met primarily by supplementation. Food selection may also be altered to avoid a range of food-borne diseases and toxic constituents. There are a number of psycho-social reasons why pregnancy might be considered a good time for promoting changes in dietary behaviour for the health of the wider family. However, pregnancy may be a bad time to promote dietary change if it is perceived to involve slimming, if nutritional requirements are greatest before pregnancy, or if dietary changes made are harmful. There is little evidence to support educational interventions as successful at changing dietary behaviour during pregnancy. Pregnancy may be best viewed as an opportunity for maintaining good dietary selections and for building knowledge for future action, and should not be seen as the only opportunity for promoting dietary change within the life course.

Keywords

PregnancyDietary behaviourMaternal nutrition
Type
Symposium on ‘Nutritional adaptation to pregnancy and lactation’
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 60 , Issue 4 , November 2001 , pp. 497 - 504
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2001

References

Acheson, D (1998) Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health Report. London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Adams, L (1982) Consumers' views of antenatal education. Health Education Journal 41, 12–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, AS (1984) Constipation during pregnancy: incidence and methods used in its treatment in a group of Cambridgeshire women. Health Visitor 57, 363–364.Google Scholar
Anderson, AS, Campbell, D & Shepherd, R (1993) Nutrition knowledge, attitude to healthier eating and dietary intake in pregnant compared to non-pregnant women. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 6, 335–353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, AS, Campbell, D & Shepherd, R (1995) Influence of dietary advice on nutrient intake during pregnancy. British Journal of Nutrition 73, 163–177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, AS & Shepherd, R (1989) Beliefs and attitudes towards healthier eating among women attending maternity hospital. Journal of Nutrition Education 21, 208–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, AS, Umapathy, D, Palumbo, L & Pearson, DWM (1988) Nutrition knowledge assessed by a structured questionnaire in a group of medical inpatients. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 1, 39–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baric, L & MacArthur, C (1977) Health norms in pregnancy. British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine 31, 30–38.Google ScholarPubMed
Barker, DJP (editor) (1992). Fetal and Infant Origins of Adult Disease. London: BMJ Publishing Group.Google Scholar
Beaton, GH (2000) Iron needs during pregnancy: do we need to rethink our targets? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72, 265S–271S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bothwell, TH (2000) Iron requirements in pregnancy and strategies to meet them. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72, 257S–264S.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameron, CS & Graham, S (1944) Antenatal diet and its influence on stillbirths and prematurity. Glasgow Medical Journal XXIV 1, 1–7.Google Scholar
Campbell, D & MacGillivray, I (1975) The effect of a low calorie diet or a thiazide diuretic on the incidence of pre-eclampsia and birthweight. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 82, 572–577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campbell, DM (1983) Dietary restriction in obesity and its effect on neonatal outcome. In Nutrition in Pregnancy. Proceedings of the Tenth Study Group of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, pp. 243–250 [Campbell, DM and Gillmer, MDG, editors]. London: RCOG.Google Scholar
Campbell, DM, Hall, MH, Barker, DJ, Cross, J, Shiell, AW & Godfrey, KM (1996) Diet in pregnancy and the offspring's blood pressure 40 years later. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 103, 273–280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Daelhausen, BB & Guthrie, HA (1982) A self-instruction nutrition program for pregnant women. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 81, 407–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Health (1990). Women Cautioned. Press Release 90/507. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1991). Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. Report on Health and Social Subjects no. 41, London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1997). While You are Pregnant – How to Avoid Infection from Food and Contact with Animals (Advice Leaflet). JOB/OBHLF 800k 2P. London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Department of Health (2000). Folic Acid and the Prevention of Disease. Report of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Devine, CM, Bove, CF & Olson, CM (2000) Continuity and change in women's weight orientations and lifestyle practices through pregnancy and the postpartum period: the influence of life course trajectories and transitional events. Social Science and Medicine 50, 567–582.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doyle, W (1999) Maternal nutrition and low birthweight. PhD Thesis, Brunel University.Google Scholar
Durnin, JVGA (1987) Energy requirements of pregnancy: an integration of the longitudinal data from the five-country study. Lancet ii, 1131–1133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durnin, JVGA, McKillop, FM, Grant, S & Fitzgerald, G (1987) Energy requirements of pregnancy in Scotland. Lancet ii, 897–900.Google Scholar
Edington, J, Thorogood, M, Geekie, M, Ball, M & Mann, J (1989) Assessment of nutritional intake using dietary records with estimated weight. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 61, 407–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fairweather, DVI (1968) Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 102, 135–175.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fishbein, M & Ajzen, I (1985) Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behaviour: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, MA: Addison–Wesley.Google Scholar
Flaxman, SM & Sherman, PW (2000) Morning sickness: a mechanism for protecting mother and embryo. Quarterly Review of Biology 75, 113–148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Godfrey, K, Robinson, S, Barker, DJ, Osmond, C & Cox, V (1996) Maternal nutrition in early and late pregnancy in relation to placental and fetal growth. British Medical Journal 312, 410–414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, H (1984) Women, Health and the Family. Brighton, West Sussex: Harvester Press.Google Scholar
Grieve, JFK (1974) Prevention of gestational failure by high protein diet. Journal of Reproductive Medicine 13, 170–174.Google ScholarPubMed
Hales, CN, Barker, DJP, Clark, PMS, Cox, LJ, Fall, C & Osmond, C (1991) Fetal and infant growth and impaired glucose tolerance at age 64. British Medical Journal 303, 1019–1022.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hall, M, Macintyre, S & Porter, M (1985) Antenatal Care Assessed: A Case Study of Innovation in Aberdeen. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.Google Scholar
Hytten, FE (1983) Nutritional physiology during pregnancy. In Nutrition in Pregnancy, Proceedings of the Tenth Study Group of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, pp. 1–8 [Campbell, DM and Gillmer, MDG, editors]. London: RCOG.Google Scholar
Institute of Medicine (1990). Nutrition During Pregnancy. Part 1, Weight Gain. Report of the Committee on Nutritional Status during Pregnancy and Lactation, Food and Nutrition Board. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Kehrer, B & Wolin, V (1979) Impact of income maintenance on birthweight, evidence from the Gary experiment. Journal of Human Resources 14, 434–462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kemmer, D, Anderson, AS & Marshall, D (1998) Living together and eating together: changes in food choice and eating habits during the transition from single to married/cohabiting. Sociological Review 1998, 46–71.Google Scholar
Law, CM, Gordon, GS, Shiell, AW, Barker, DJP & Hales, CN (1995) Thinness at birth and glucose tolerance in seven year old children. Diabetes Metabolism 12, 24–29.Google ScholarPubMed
Lenders, CM, McElrath, TF & Scholl, TO (2000) Nutrition in adolescent pregnancy. Current Opinion in Pediatrics 3, 291–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macintyre, S (1983) The management of food in pregnancy. In The Sociology of Food and Eating. Hants: Gower Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Martorell, R, Stein, AD & Schroeder, DG (2001) Early nutrition and later adiposity. Journal of Nutrition 131, 874S–880S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matthews, F, Yudkin, P, Smith, RF & Neil, A (2000) Nutrient intakes during pregnancy: the influence of smoking and age. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 54, 17–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MRC Vitamin Study Research Group (1991) Prevention of neural tube defects: results of the Medical Research Council Vitamin Study. Lancet 338, 131–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oakley, A (1984) The Captured Womb. A History of the Medical Care of Pregnant Women. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd.Google Scholar
Office for National Statistics (1997). Series DH3 Mortality Statistics: Perinatal and Infant: Social and Biological Factors. London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Orr, RAD & Simmons, JJ (1979) Nutrition care in pregnancy: the patients view 11. Perceptions, satisfaction and response to dietary advice and treatment. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 75, 131–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prentice, A (2000) Calcium in pregnancy and lactation. Annual Review of Nutrition 20, 249–272.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prentice, AM, Coward, WA, Murgatroyd, PR, Goldberg, GR, Black, AE & Davies, HL (1987) Energy expenditure during pregnancy. In Recent Advances in Obesity Research V, pp. 251–257 [Berry, EM and Blennheim, SJ, editors]. London: John Libbey.Google Scholar
Prentice, AM & Goldberg, GR (1996) Maternal obesity increases congenital malformations. Nutrition Reviews 5, 146–150.Google Scholar
Roseboom, TJ, van der Meulen, JH, Osmond, C, Barker, DJ, Ravelli, AC & Bleker, OP (2000) Plasma lipid profiles in adults after prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72, 1101–1106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2000) Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy. http://www.rcog.org.ukGoogle Scholar
Rush, D, Horvitz, DG, Seaver, WG, Aluir, JM, Garbowski, GC, Leighton, J, Sloan, NL, Johnson, SS, Kulka, RA & Shanklin, DS (1988) The national WIC evaluation. Background and introduction. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 48, 389–393.Google ScholarPubMed
Schafer, RB (1978) Factors affecting food behavior and the quality of husbands‘ and wives’ diets. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 72, 138–143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scottish Health Education Group (1980). The Book of the Child. Edinburgh: Scottish Health Education Group.Google Scholar
Short, R (1980) The Short Report. Perinatal and Neonatal Mortality. Second Report from the Social Services Committee. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Stene, LC, Ulriksen, J, Magnus, P & Joner, G (2000) Use of cod liver oil during pregnancy associated with lower risk of TypeI diabetes in the offspring. Diabetologia 43, 1093–1098.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevens, M (1990) Strategies to influence nutrition behaviour. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 3, 183–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taggart, N (1961) Food habits in pregnancy. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 20, 35–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Teijeling, E, Wilson, B, Barry, N, Ralph, A, McNeill, G, Graham, W & Campbell, D (1998) Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Healthy Eating in Pregnant Women and Women of Child Bearing Age: A Review. Health Promotion Effectiveness reviews no. 11. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Wallenburg, HC (2001) Prevention of pre-eclampsia: status and prespectives 2000. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology 1, 13–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar