Abstract
It is not known whether Indian pregnant women with low Body Mass Index (BMI) have adequate protein stores to provide sufficient amino acids for the growing fetus and how this interacts with the maternal body fat (energy) stores in early pregnancy. This study aimed to measure amino acid oxidation in pregnant women with low BMI and to evaluate the influence of maternal body fat on amino acid oxidation in early pregnancy. In two experimental studies of low BMI women, leucine oxidation rates significantly reduced from 1<sup>st</sup> to 3<sup>rd</sup> trimester (post absorptive state, p&lt;0.002 and fed state, p&lt;0.003, Wilcoxon sign rank test). In the post absorptive state in the 1st trimester, leucine oxidation negatively correlated with maternal fat percentage (r=-0.32, p=0.04). Hence, it would appear that the availability of body fat as an energy store in early pregnancy could reduce the utilization of amino acid as a substrate for the energy demands of the growing feto-placental unit.
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