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. 2021 Apr 24;13(5):1434.
doi: 10.3390/nu13051434.

Nutrient Intake during Pregnancy and Adherence to Dietary Recommendations: The Mediterranean PHIME Cohort

Federica Concina  1 , Paola Pani  1 , Claudia Carletti  1 , Valentina Rosolen  1 , Alessandra Knowles  1 , Maria Parpinel  2 , Luca Ronfani  1 , Marika Mariuz  2 , Liza Vecchi Brumatti  3 , Francesca Valent  4 , D'Anna Little  5 , Oleg Petrović  6 , Igor Prpić  6 , Zdravko Špirić  7 , Aikaterini Sofianou-Katsoulis  8 , Darja Mazej  9 , Janja Snoj Tratnik  9 , Milena Horvat  9 , Fabio Barbone  2   4
Affiliations

Nutrient Intake during Pregnancy and Adherence to Dietary Recommendations: The Mediterranean PHIME Cohort

Federica Concina et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Few studies provide a detailed description of dietary habits during pregnancy, despite the central role of nutrition for the health of the mother and offspring. This paper describes the dietary habits, energy and nutrient intake in pregnant women from four countries belonging to the Mediterranean PHIME cohort (Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slovenia) and evaluates their adherence to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommendations. A total of 1436 women were included in the present analysis. Maternal diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The mean macro and micronutrient intakes were estimated and compared with the dietary reference values (DRVs). The percentage distribution of the 16 food groups in the total intake of each macronutrient was estimated. All women shared a similar diet during pregnancy; almost all the women in the four countries exceeded the DRV for sugars, and the total fat intake was above the DRV in most women in all the countries, as was the contribution of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to the total energy intake. In all four countries, we observed an increased risk of micronutrient deficiency for iron, folate and vitamin D. Shared guidelines, implemented at both the national and European level, are essential to improve the maternal nutritional status during pregnancy.

Keywords: PHIME; dietary reference values; food groups; nutrient intake; pregnant women; prospective cohort study.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage distribution of the different food sources of soluble carbohydrates based on intake in each country. 1 Added sugar derived from the sum of two food groups: “sweets and desserts” and “sugar”.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage distribution of the different food sources of fats based on intake in each country.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage distribution of the different food sources of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) based on intake in each country.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percentage distribution of the different food sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) based on intake in each country.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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