American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 59, 827-832, Copyright © 1994 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Energy balances of healthy Dutch women before and during pregnancy: limited scope for metabolic adaptations in pregnancy

LC de Groot, HA Boekholt, CK Spaaij, JM van Raaij, JJ Drijvers, LJ van der Heijden, D van der Heide and JG Hautvast
Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands.

To investigate changes in energy metabolism during pregnancy, complete 8-d energy balances were measured before pregnancy and at 12, 23, and 34 wk gestation in 12 healthy Dutch women. While for each individual woman experimental diets were kept constant throughout the study with average intakes of 8.76 +/- 0.92 MJ/d (before pregnancy), 8.72 +/- 1.08 MJ/d (week 12), 8.85 +/- 0.93 MJ/d (week 23), and 8.72 +/- 1.12 MJ/d (week 34), neither the digestibility nor the metabolizability of the supplied diets showed significant changes from before pregnancy (92.8% and 88.6%, respectively) throughout pregnancy (92.7% and 88.2%, respectively). Twenty-four-hour energy expenditure (24-h EE) increased significantly from 8.63 +/- 0.80 MJ/d (before pregnancy) to 8.73 +/- 1.15, 9.08 +/- 1.08, and 9.94 +/- 0.94 MJ/d in weeks 12, 23, and 34 of gestation, to the extent predictable from changes in resting metabolic rate so that in an experimental setting with physical activity and energy intake standardized there seems little scope for other adaptive mechanisms.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. F Butte, W. W Wong, M. S Treuth, K. J Ellis, and E O'Brian Smith Energy requirements during pregnancy based on total energy expenditure and energy deposition Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2004; 79(6): 1078 - 1087. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. M. Catalano, J. P. Kirwan, S. Haugel-de Mouzon, and J. King Gestational Diabetes and Insulin Resistance: Role in Short- and Long-Term Implications for Mother and Fetus J. Nutr., May 1, 2003; 133(5): 1674S - 1683. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Mojtahedi, L. C. de Groot, H. A Boekholt, and J. M. van Raaij Nitrogen balance of healthy Dutch women before and during pregnancy Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2002; 75(6): 1078 - 1083. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. E Kopp-Hoolihan, M. D van Loan, W. W Wong, and J. C King Longitudinal assessment of energy balance in well-nourished, pregnant women Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 1999; 69(4): 697 - 704. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. F Butte, J. M Hopkinson, N. Mehta, J. K Moon, and E O'B. Smith Adjustments in energy expenditure and substrate utilization during late pregnancy and lactation Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, February 1, 1999; 69(2): 299 - 307. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]