Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

NUTRITION IN PREGNANCY AND LACTATION 579
Nutrient
RDA/AI,
Nonpregna
nt
Adult
Women
RDA/AI,
Pregnant
Adult
Importance
Vitamin
A
Vitamin
B6
Vitamin
B12
Vitamin
C
Vitamin
D
700 mcg 770 mcg Forms healthy skin and eyesight; helps with bone growth
1.3 mg 1.9 mg Helps form red blood cells; helps the body metabolize macronutrients
2.4 mcg 2.6 mcg Maintains nervous system; helps form red blood cells
75 mg 85 mg Promotes healthy gums, teeth, and bones
600 IU 600 IU Builds fetal bones and teeth; promotes healthy eyesight and skin
Folate 400 600
Helps prevent neural tube defects; supports growth and development of
fetus and placenta
Calcium 1,000 mg 1,000 mg Builds strong bones and teeth
Iron 18 mg 27 mg Helps red blood cells deliver oxygen to fetus
Iodine 150 mcg 220 mg Essential for healthy brain development
Choline 425 mg 450 mg Important for development of fetal brain and spinal cord
Table 11.2. Recommended Micronutrient intakes during pregnancy. Sources: The American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
Among the micronutrients, folate, iron, and iodine deserve a special mention. Folate is
essential for the growth and specialization of cells of the central nervous system (see Unit 9).
Mothers who are folate-deficient during pregnancy have a higher risk of having a baby with
a neural tube birth defect such as spina bifida. Folic acid fortification of grains in the U.S.
has helped to raise folate intake in the general population and has reduced the incidence of
neural tube defects. However, dietary intake is often not adequate to meet the requirement
of 600 mg folate per day in pregnancy, and the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women take an additional 400 mg of folic acid
each day, an amount usually included in prenatal supplements. 13 The neural tube closes
by day 28 of pregnancy, before a woman may realize she is pregnant, so it’s important to
consume adequate folate while trying to conceive. Because about 45 percent of pregnancies
in the U.S. are unplanned, a folic acid supplement is a good idea for anyone who may
become pregnant. 14
Iron intake is important because of the increase in blood volume during pregnancy. Iron
is an essential component of hemoglobin, the protein responsible for oxygen transport in
blood, so adequate iron intake supports oxygen delivery to both maternal and fetal tissues
(see Unit 9). Good dietary sources of iron include meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, legumes, and
fortified or whole grain cereals. Iron should also be included in a prenatal supplement or
taken separately.
Iodine is essential for fetal brain development, but recent data suggests that many
pregnant women in the U.S. do not consume enough iodine to meet their increased
requirement. 15 Much of the iodine in the typical American diet comes from dairy products