Estimation of body fat in healthy Swedish women during pregnancy and lactation

Article Abstract:

Nutrition researchers have estimated how many calories pregnant and lactating women should consume. Adequate energy is needed to support a healthy pregnancy and the breastfeeding process. The additional energy consumed in pregnancy is used to build the baby's tissues and to support the mother's higher metabolic rate, but another important use of this energy is for conversion into fat that is stored in the mother's body. It is believed that these fat deposits occur to protect against a sudden decrease in the food supply. Surprisingly, 40 to 50 percent of the increase in energy needs for pregnancy is used for fat storage. A well-nourished mother stores an estimated eight to 14 pounds of fat during pregnancy. The amount of fat stored may affect the health of the infant, as one study related inadequate fat storage by poorly nourished women in the Gambia to the small size of their babies. In this study the authors compared various methods for estimating changes in the total body fat of 29 healthy Swedish mothers during pregnancy and lactation. Since body fat cannot be measured directly in a living person, estimates of body water, body density, and fat under the skin (skinfold thicknesses) are used. Several of these measurements may be combined in an equation to estimate total body fat. The authors conclude that the hydration of the mother's body, or its retention of water, contributes to changes in body weight during pregnancy so that body weight gain does not directly reflect body fat gain. They also found that all methods currently used to estimate body fat during pregnancy are of questionable accuracy, and assert that better methods are needed. The current recommendations for dietary calories during pregnancy and lactation are based in part on these less than optimal methods for estimating maternal body fat storage. These recommendations may need revision based on future research.

Health aspects, Pregnant women, Body composition, Pregnancy, Weight gain, Lactation, Adipose tissues, Adipose tissue, Fat, Fats

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Folate status of Mexican American, Cuban, and Puerto Rican women

Article Abstract:

Folate (folic acid) is a B-vitamin found primarily in green leafy vegetables, liver, and yeast. The population group at greatest risk for folate deficiency is women of childbearing age; the deficiency is common in young women whether they have had children or not. Folate is especially important in pregnancy because lack of this vitamin may cause birth defects. Other groups that have an increased rate of folate deficiency are smokers and persons using oral contraceptives, anticonvulsant medications, and alcohol. People who do not take vitamin supplements and individuals with a low socioeconomic status also have an increased incidence of folate deficiency. There has been little research on the folate nutrition of Hispanic women. This study evaluated the folate status of 213 Cuban (C), 1,218 Mexican American (MA) and 461 Puerto Rican (PR) women; the data were obtained from a survey conducted between 1982 and 1984 called the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The ages of subjects ranged from 18 to 44 years. Two measurements of folate were performed: red blood cell (RBC) folate, which reflects long-term folate intake, and serum folate, which reflects recent intake of the vitamin. The percentages of women with low serum folate were: 10.1 for C, 11.9 for MA and 8.1 for PR. Low RBC folate was found in 16.7 percent of C, 7.8 percent of MA, and 13.6 percent of PR. Because it reflects folate intake over a longer period of time, the RBC folate concentration is more indicative of risk for folate deficiency than the serum folate level. While income and education did not correlate with folate nutrition, as expected women who took vitamin supplements had higher folate levels than women who did not take supplements. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Women, Surveys, Food and nutrition, Folic acid, Nutritional aspects, Hispanic Americans, Folic acid in human nutrition, Folic acid deficiency

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