Nutrition In Pregnancy And Lactation

Pregnancy is a viewed as a window to future health. With the birth of the developmental origins of human adult disease hypothesis, research and clinical practice has turned its attention to the influence of maternal factors such as health and lifestyle surrounding pregnancy as a means to understand and prevent the inter-generational inheritance of chronic disease susceptibility. Outcomes during pregnancy have long-lasting impacts on both women on children. Moreover, nutrition early in life can influence growth and the establishment of lifelong eating habits and behaviors. This Special Issue on “Nutrition during Pregnancy and Lactation: Implications for Maternal and Infant Health” is intended to highlight new epidemiological, mechanistic and interventional studies that investigate maternal nutrition around the pregnancy period on maternal and infant outcomes. Submissions may include original research, narrative reviews, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Nutrition in Pregnancy and Lactation provides balanced, comprehensive coverage of nutrition needs during and between the times of these unique physiologic events, as well as offering extensive practical information on counseling and support for breastfeeding mothers and their infants.

On the basis of a comprehensive literature review and analysis, Nutrition During Lactation points out specific directions for needed research in understanding the relationship between the nutrition of healthy mothers and the outcomes of lactation. Of widest interest are the committee's clear-cut recommendations for mothers and health care providers. The volume presents data on who among U.S. mothers is breastfeeding, a critical evaluation of methods for assessing the nutritional status of lactating women, and an analysis of how to relate the mother's nutrition to the volume and composition of the milk. Available data on the links between a mother's nutrition and the nutrition and growth of her infant and current information on the risk of transmission through breastfeeding of allergic diseases, environmental toxins, and certain viruses (including the HIV virus) are included. Nutrition During Lactation also studies the effects of maternal cigarette smoking, drug use, and alcohol consumption.

Reviews the status of maternal and child health, both in the United States and abroad; examines the relationship between nutrition and fertility; covers the physiology of pregnancy; contains a survey of the development of knowledge about the effect of diet on fetal development; explores known and suspected energy and vitamin needs and mineral needs during pregnancy, including expanded coverage of folic acid deficiency and neural tube defects. Discusses such dietary lifestyle components as drug and alcohol use, which are believed to adversely affect pregnancy course and outcome; establishes the principles of nutritional assessment; covers conditions and complications of pregnancy that may require special nutrition counseling and the nutritional challenges facing the pregnant adolescent; summarizes the physiologic basis of lactation as well as economic issues relating to formula vs. human milk feedings; discusses the composition of human milk and its unique properties; presents practical issues related to the counseling and support of the lactating mother; and covers nutrition education, emphasizing the preparation of today's youth for conception before it occurs. Written for health professionials in a variety of disciplines that relate to expectant families and for students preparing for careers in maternal and child health.

With the aim to improve clinicians' understanding of the important effects nutrition can have on maternal health and fetal and neonatal development, Maternal-Fetal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation defines the nutritional requirements with regard to the stage of development and growth, placing scientific developments into clinical context.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine last reviewed the state of the science on nutrition during pregnancy and lactation 30 years ago. The resulting consensus study reports from the Institute of Medicineâ€"Nutrition During Pregnancy (IOM, 1990) and Nutrition During Lactation (IOM, 1991)â€"summarized the scientific evidence and provided nutrient recommendations. In the decades since the release of these two reports, the body of evidence on the relationships between nutrition during pregnancy and lactation and maternal and infant health and chronic disease has continued to grow and evolve. At the same time, the demographics of the population have shifted, giving rise to new considerations. To explore the evidence that has emerged, the National Academies conducted a 2-day workshop in January 2020. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Explaining the practical implications of new discoveries in life-course biology, this is an informed resource on factors that affect offspring development.