Energy requirements of pregnancy for healthy Dutch women

Abstract

Over the past 15 years we have performed several longitudinal studies with healthy Dutch women, in which components of an energy balance were measured before, during and after pregnancy. The observed small changes in energy intake over pregnancy are insufficient to meet the energy costs of pregnancy. This suggests that substantial savings were made on energy expenditure. We found no evidence for improvement of digestibility, for lower energy costs in ingesting, absorbing, transporting and storing nutrients, or for lower energy costs for performing fixed-paced physical tasks. So, it appears that our Dutch women cannot increase the efficiency of their energy metabolism. However we could clearly demonstrate that our women reduced their daily energy expenditure by decreasing the amount and pace of physical activity. In summary, our studies suggest there is no need for well-nourished western women to increase food intake in pregnancy, provided that the mothers reduce their level of physical activity. However, since the requirements for specific nutrients are increased in pregnancy, special attention should be given to the quality of the diet.