A review of the impact of nutrition on pregnant women

Background: A healthy and balanced diet is quite important in lifetime especially during pregnancy. The maternal diet must provide sufficient energy and nutrient to meet the mother's usual requirements and the needs of the growing fetus.Inadequate nutrition especially at the beginning of the pregnancy, may impair fetal brain development and cause abnormalities in endocrine functioning, organ development and the energy metabolism of child. The present study aimed at the effects of nutrition on pregnant women.Method: this Review study is done by using Internet websites such as Google Scholar, PUBMED, SID from 1992 to 2019 and searching some English words like nutrition, fetus, pregnant women, maternal, pregnancy and diet at different websites facilitated the study.Finding: Many studies show that pregnant women take too much fat and too little carbohydrate and that intakes of fiber and several trace elements are lower than recommended. Neither do they facilitate intakes of vitamins and minerals close to recommended levels. According to studies nutrients intakes including folate, B6, A and D vitamins, iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and zinc were found to be insufficient in pregnant women because Women often make dietary changes during pregnancy.Conclusion: Education is an important factor in health promotion and a nutritional education intervention will have a positive effect on nutritional awareness of pregnant women. Therefore, Nutrition education programmes are required to explain adequate dietary guidelines to pregnant women and all women of childbearing age.

کلیدواژه ها:

Pregnant women ، diet ، nutrition ، fetus