MEAL PATTERNS, MACRONUTRIENTS AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN PREGNANCY

Health behaviors, such as meal patterns and nutritional intake during pregnancy may impact pregnancy outcomes. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women should consume three meals and snacks every day during gestation. Prolonged periods without food have been linked preterm labor. The purpose of this poster is to present the state of the science in regards to meal patterns, macronutrient intake and energy expenditure in pregnancy and its clinical importance. Meal patterns that do not include three meals and three snacks per day may be influenced by stress and ethnicity. Black women have a higher rate of prolonged periods without food intake and consume more calories on average than white women. However, after energy adjustment, white women consume higher nutrient dense diets. In addition, decreased frequency of food intake causes an increase in the stress hormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). CRH has been directly linked to preterm labor and birth. Energy expenditure and perceived stress, two important confounders, have not been controlled in the studies evaluated. Nutrition education that focuses on increasing the frequency of meals and sufficient nutritional intake during pregnancy may impact pregnancy outcomes.