Functional foods and nutritional supplements in pregnancy

Uvod: Funkcionalna živila so kategorija prehrambnih izdelkov, v katero uvrščamo nekatera naravna živila ter živila, ki jim je bila dodana koristna komponenta oziroma odstranjena škodljiva komponenta. Poleg oskrbovanja organizma z osnovnimi hranilnimi snovmi imajo funkcionalna živila vlogo tudi pri izboljšanju zdravstvenega stanja posameznika in zmanjševanju tveganja za razvoj bolezni. Pri tem morajo biti vse trditve o zdravstvenih koristih, ki jih pripisujemo uživanju teh izdelkov, podprte s tehtnimi znanstvenimi podatki. Namen: Namen diplomskega dela je predstavitev osnovnih prehranskih priporočil v nosečnosti v povezavi s funkcionalnimi živili in s poudarkom na vse pogosteje propagiranih »superživilih« ter ugotavljanje varnosti prehranjevanja s tovrstnimi živili za nosečnico in plod. Prav tako je cilj podrobneje raziskati učinek uživanja ingverja in prehranskih dopolnil na osnovi mikroalg na nekatera stanja v nosečnosti. Metode dela: V diplomskem delu je bila uporabljena deskriptivna metoda dela s kvalitativno meta-sintezo znanstvenih študij. Do literature v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku smo dostopali preko sistema COBISS ter nekaterih tujih podatkovnih baz (ScienceDirect, Springer Link, MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, Cochrane Library). Za meta-sintezo, s katero smo preverjali dve zastavljeni raziskovalni trditvi, je bil uporabljen nabor znanstvenih študij, ovrednotenih glede na štiristopenjsko lestvico avtorjev Ecclesa in Masona. Rezultati: Meta-sinteza desetih znanstvenih študij je pokazala, da je bila uporaba ingverja pri lajšanju slabosti in bruhanja v nosečnosti učinkovitejša od učinka placeba in akupresure ter enako učinkovita kot uporaba vitamina B6. Zaradi vpliva na zviševanje vrednosti hemoglobina v krvi nosečnic je bila dokazana tudi povezava med uporabo prehranskih dopolnil na osnovi spiruline in klorele ter preprečevanjem anemije v nosečnosti. Razprava in zaključek: Raziskave o vplivu posameznih »superživil« na nosečnico in plod so pomanjkljive, zaradi česar je zelo malo znanega o potencialnem tveganju njihove uporabe v nosečnosti. Zato je s strani zdravstvenih delavcev smiselno ozaveščati tudi o drugih, za nas povsem običajnih funkcionalnih živilih, v povezavi s prehranskimi priporočili v nosečnosti, ki v osnovi temeljijo na principu zdrave in uravnotežene prehrane.Introduction: Functional foods are a category of food products that include natural foods and foods with added beneficial components or removed harmful components. In addition to supplying the body with essential nutrients, functional foods also play a role in improving the health of individuals and reducing the risk of developing diseases. However, all claims about the health benefits attributed to the consumption of these products must be supported by scientific data. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma work is to present dietary recommendations in pregnancy in connection to functional foods, with an emphasis on the increasingly promoted »superfoods« as well as determining the safety of these foods for a pregnant woman and her fetus. The aim is also to investigate the effect of consuming ginger and microalgae-based dietary supplements on certain conditions during pregnancy. Methods: A descriptive method of work with a qualitative meta-synthesis of scientific studies was used. Literature in the Slovene and English languages was accessed through the COBISS system and different foreign databases (ScienceDirect, Springer Link, MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, Cochrane Library). A set of scientific studies evaluated based on a four-point scale by Eccles and Mason was used for the meta-synthesis. Results: Meta-synthesis of ten scientific studies has shown that the use of ginger in relieving pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting was more effective than placebo and acupressure and as effective as the use of vitamin B6. Because of the effect on increasing blood haemoglobin levels of pregnant women, a connection between using dietary supplements based on spirulina and chlorella and the prevention of anemia in pregnancy was also proven. Discussion and conclusion: Research on the effects of certain »superfoods« on pregnant women and their fetuses is lacking, leaving very little known about the potential risk of their use in pregnancy. Therefore, healthcare professionals need to raise awareness of other functional foods in connection to dietary recommendations in pregnancy, which are based on the principle of a healthy and balanced diet