Maternal intake of energy, macronutrients and fiber during pregnancy, and relation to maternal anthropometry

Summary Background: The evidence for a relationship between maternal nutritional status during pregnancy and future health of her unborn child is now ample. The different factors that may link fetal development and growth to later health of the fetus are currently gaining increasing attention. Composition of maternal gestational weight gain may be one of the factors that have an impact on this relationship. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate whether maternal intake of energy, macronutrients and fiber during pregnancy had an effect on degree and composition of gestational weight gain and other anthropometric measures in early and late pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant women (N=553) attended a study where body weight and body composition (skinfold thickness) was measured four times during pregnancy and dietary intake was assessed twice using a food frequency questionnaire. Results: Women with a high energy intake increased their body weight more during pregnancy than women with a lower intake of energy (p<0.01). High energy intake was also associated with a higher increase in skinfold thickness (p