Abstract
The maternal diet influences the long-term health status of both mother and offspring. The current study aimed to compare dietary intakes of pregnant women compared to food and nutrient recommendations in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) and Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs). Usual dietary intake was assessed in a sample of women in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy attending antenatal outpatient clinics at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW). Dietary intake was measured using the Australian Eating Survey, a validated, semi-quantitative 120-item food frequency questionnaire. Daily food group servings and nutrient intakes were compared to AGHE and NRV targets. Of 534 women participating, none met the AGHE recommendations for all food groups. Highest adherence was for fruit serves (38%), and lowest for breads and cereals (0.6%). Only four women met the pregnancy NRVs for folate, iron, calcium, zinc and fibre from food alone. Current dietary intakes of Australian women during pregnancy do not align with national nutrition guidelines. This highlights the importance of routine vitamin and mineral supplementation during pregnancy, as intakes from diet alone may commonly be inadequate. Future revisions of dietary guidelines and pregnancy nutrition recommendations should consider current dietary patterns. Pregnant women currently need more support to optimise food and nutrient intakes.
Highlights
Dietary intakes during pregnancy influence long-term health of both the mother and offspring [1].Maternal diets can either enhance or compromise the mother’s health status during pregnancy, impacting foetal development and influencing both maternal and offspring risk for non-communicable diseases later in life [2,3,4,5]
Additional questions related to food intolerance and food allergies were not asked as it was deemed unnecessary for the overall aim of the research
The few women (n = 4) who met all five of the key pregnancy Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) had food group intakes that differed to those recommended in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE); one of these women classified as a mis-reporter
Summary
Dietary intakes during pregnancy influence long-term health of both the mother and offspring [1].Maternal diets can either enhance or compromise the mother’s health status during pregnancy, impacting foetal development and influencing both maternal and offspring risk for non-communicable diseases later in life [2,3,4,5]. Foods and are high in energy, saturated fat, added sugars and sodium and low in dietary fibre [1,7] These dietary patterns may impact on adequacy of specific micronutrient intakes such as folate, iron, calcium and zinc, which are important in optimising reproductive health as well as foetal growth and development [1,8]. It has been reported in two systematic reviews that in high income countries the maternal diet does not align with life-stage specific national recommendations, increasing the likelihood of suboptimal micronutrient and macronutrient intakes [9,10]. Savard et al suggested that pregnant women have greater diet quality overall, raising the concern for overall diet quality amongst women of childbearing age [16]
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