The Association between the Macronutrient Content of Maternal Diet and the Adequacy of Micronutrients during Pregnancy in the Women and Their Children’s Health (WATCH) Study

Nutrients

Michelle Blumfield³  Alexis Hure²  Lesley MacDonald-Wicks³  Roger Smith⁴  Stephen Simpson¹  David Raubenheimer⁵ 

[1] School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; E-Mail:;School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia; E-Mail:;School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia; E-Mails:;Mothers and Babies Research Centre, Hunter Medical Research Institute, John Hunter Hospital, Level 3, Endocrinology, Locked Bag 1, Hunter Region Mail Centre, New South Wales 2310, Australia; E-Mail:;Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Albany 0632, New Zealand; E-Mail:

关键词: maternal;    pregnancy;    dietary intake;    nutrition;    nutrient requirements;    protein;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu4121958

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Nutrition during pregnancy can induce alterations in offspring phenotype. Maternal ratio of protein to non-protein (P:NP) energy has been linked to variations in offspring body composition and adult risk of metabolic disease. This study describes the dietary patterns of pregnant women by tertiles of the P:NP ratio and compares diet to Australian recommendations. Data are from 179 Australian women enrolled in the Women and Their Children’s Health Study. Diet was assessed using a validated 74-item food frequency questionnaire. Food group servings and nutrient intakes were compared to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and Australian Nutrient Reference Values. Higher maternal P:NP tertile was positively associated with calcium (P = 0.003), zinc (P = 0.001) and servings of dairy (P = 0.001) and meat (P = 0.001) food groups, and inversely associated with the energy dense, nutrient poor non-core (P = 0.003) food group. Micronutrient intakes were optimized with intermediate protein (18%E–20%E), intermediate fat (28%E–30%E) and intermediate carbohydrate (50%E–54%E) intakes, as indicated in tertile two. Results suggest a moderate protein intake may support pregnant women to consume the largest variety of nutrients across all food groups.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.