Dietary Recommendations for Pregnant Women

Dietary Recommendations for Pregnant Women
(from the PeriLip Study)

>>	Dietary fat intake during pregnancy and lactation (as a proportion of energy intake) should be the same as that recommended for the general population.
>>	The omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), must be deposited in adequate amounts in brain and other tissues during foetal and early postnatal life. Several studies have shown an association between visual and cognitive development of infants and maternal dietary intake of fatty fish or oils providing n-3 LC-PUFA during pregnancy and/or lactation. Therefore, pregnant and lactating women should aim to achieve a dietary intake of n-3 LC-PUFA that supplies a DHA intake of at least 200 mg/day. Intakes of up to 1 g/day of DHA or 2.7 g/day of n-3 LC-PUFA have been used in randomized trials without occurrence of significant adverse effects.
>>	Women of childbearing age should consume one to two portions of fish per week, including fatty fish which is a good source of n-3 LC-PUFA. This intake of fatty fish usually does not exceed the tolerable intake of environmental contaminants. Dietary fish should be selected from a wide range of species without undue preference for large predatory fish such as swordfish and tuna which are more likely to be contaminated with methylmercury.
>>	Intake of the precursor, alpha-linolenic acid, is far less effective with respect to DHA deposition in foetal brain than the intake of preformed DHA.
>>	There is no evidence that women of childbearing age whose dietary intake of linoleic acid is adequate need an additional dietary intake of arachidonic acid.
>>	Some, but not all, studies have shown that maternal intake of fish, fish oils or n-3 LC-PUFA results in a slightly longer duration of gestation and a somewhat higher birth weight and one study has shown that n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation of women with a history of preterm delivery reduces the risk of recurrent preterm delivery. At present, however, the implications of such effects with respect to infant health are not clear.
>>	Screening for dietary inadequacies should be performed during pregnancy, preferably during the first trimester. If less than desirable dietary habits are detected, individual counselling should be offered during pregnancy as well as during lactation.

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