Nutrition in pregnancy

Iodine Nutrition in Pregnancy Meeting Iodine Requirements in the Diets of Pregnant Women... 

Matalon KM, Acosta PB, Azen C. Role of nutrition in pregnancy with phenylketonuria and birth defects. Pediatrics. 2003 112(6 Pt 2) 1534-6. 

Proc. Symp. IV. Nutrition in pregnancy, council on foods and nutrition. Chicago American Medical Association 1958... 

The advice on vitamins for the general population is that supplementation is unnecessary for a normal diet. However, vitamin deficiency can occur in the elderly (due to poor nutrition, and lack of sunlight) the very young, the malnourished, when food absorption problems exist or when there is an exceptional demand as in pregnancy. Some of the general points about vitamins are ... 

Megaloblastic anem/a.- Treatment of megaloblastic anemias due to a deficiency of folic acid as seen in tropical or nontropical sprue, anemias of nutritional origin, pregnancy, infancy, or childhood. 

Once a chemical enters the body of animal or human, it undergoes metabolic reaction. A host of factors modulate the reaction rate and the induction of toxicological effects. These factors have been termed intrinsic factors and include animal species, gender, age, nutritional status, pregnancy, other health status, and circadian rhythms. In addition, there are certain extrinsic factors (e.g., physicochemical properties of chemicals, solvent or vehicle, route of exposure, temperature, and humidity) during exposure to chemicals that also influence the effect of a test chemical. We shall discuss these factors in greater detail. 

Iron-deficiency anaemia is common in premenopausal females and is associated with iron loss in pregnancy, childbirth and menstruation and in nutritional iron deficiency. Anaemia reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity ofblood. 

A review by Rase . summarizes. studies on the effects of certain hormones on vitamin B(, nutrition in humans, on the biochemical interrelationship between steroid hormones and pyridoxal phasphate-dependent enzymes, and on the role of vitamin B(, in regulating hypothalamus-pituitary functions. Some of these studies have important clinical implications. The use of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives has been investigated as a factor leading to an abnormality of tiyptophan metaboli.sm. This abnormality resembles dietary vitamin B deficiency and responds favorably to treatment with the vitamin. For some time, there has been clinical interest in the relationship between certain hormones and vitamin B function because abnormal urinary excretion of tiyptophan metabolites was observed during pregnancy and in patients with hyperthyroidism. 

A lot of controversy exists at present regarding the use of nutritional supplements in pregnancy. In animal husbandry, the use of nutritional supplements for reproduction and pregnancy is widely recognized. Folic acid and iodine are the only two of all nutrients that are contained in foods. Recently it has become evident that supplementation with specific vitamins, minerals and lo-3 fatty acids (rather than just taking a few separate ones) can have a positive impact on maternal health and the long-term health of the baby. 

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