Nutrition in pregnancy
When considering the diet of pregnant women there are several
reasons to focus on lipids:
1 – In our societies,
differences between the dietary habits of pregnant women are
expressed mostly in terms of fatty acids intakes. There are
about 50 edible fatty acids (long, medium or short chains, saturated
fats, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, omega 6, omega
3, omega 9 families, trans fatty acids, etc). The huge individual
differences in the ratio between these different fatty acids
are characteristics of modern lifestyle. Some unbalances are
frequent in our societies (too much saturated fats compared
with unsaturated fats, too much omega 6 compared with omega
3, too much trans fatty acids, etc.).
2 – Cell regulators commonly
called prostaglandins are made from polyunsaturated fatty acids.
There are three families of prostaglandins, and each family
includes several substances. The ratio between the prostaglandins
available is influenced by dietary habits. This ratio participates
in the regulation of the blood flow reaching the placenta, and
therefore in the growth of the fetus. Furthermore prostaglandins
are involved in birth physiology.
3 – Brain development is a
priority among humans. At birth the human brain has reach 25%
the adult size. This is enormous compared with the rest of the
body. The brain is mostly made of fat. The developing brain
has specific nutritional needs in terms of fatty acids.
Such considerations explain the reasons for the studies we have
conducted about nutrition in pregnancy and also for the studies
that are in projects. More details are available in the pages
about ‘eclampsia’, and also in ‘new reasons
and new ways to prepare the prenatal environment’.
