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. 2018 Jun;297(6):1433-1440.
doi: 10.1007/s00404-018-4744-2. Epub 2018 Mar 14.

Assessment of dietary intake and mineral status in pregnant women

Rafał Kocyłowski  1   2 , Iwona Lewicka  3 , Mariusz Grzesiak  4 , Zuzanna Gaj  1   5 , Anna Sobańska  3 , Joanna Poznaniak  3 , Constantin von Kaisenberg  6 , Joanna Suliburska  7
Affiliations

Assessment of dietary intake and mineral status in pregnant women

Rafał Kocyłowski et al. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the dietary intake of pregnant women and their nutritional status of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Cu, as the nutritional status of pregnant women is an important factor for the proper progression of a pregnancy and the development and health of the foetus.

Methods: The study was conducted on 108 pregnant women ages 18-42, at 6-32 weeks of gestation. We used a questionnaire and a 24-h recall nutrition interview. Hair samples were taken for testing and the level of each mineral was assessed using atomic absorption spectrometry. The results were analysed using the Dietetyk and Statistica 10 software.

Results: Low levels of Fe, Zn, Ca, Mg, vitamin D, and folic acid intake were seen in the pregnant women, with the use of dietary supplements significantly increasing their intake of Fe, Zn, and folic acid. The concentration of zinc and magnesium in the women's hair was shown to be affected by their age and, in the case of magnesium, by the week of pregnancy.

Conclusions: It was observed that the diet of pregnant women is characterised by low levels of Fe, Zn, Ca, Mg, vitamin D, and folic acid. Dietary supplementation with vitamins and minerals significantly increases the daily Fe and folic acid intake in pregnant women. The concentration of Zn and Mg in hair depends on the age of pregnant women and Mg level in the hair of women decreases during pregnancy.

Keywords: Dietary habits; Folic acid; Minerals; Pregnancy; Vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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