Ls. Piers et al., CHANGES IN ENERGY-EXPENDITURE, ANTHROPOMETRY, AND ENERGY-INTAKE DURING THE COURSE OF PREGNANCY AND LACTATION IN WELL-NOURISHED INDIAN WOMEN, The American journal of clinical nutrition, 61(3), 1995, pp. 501-513
Basal metabolic rate (BMR), thermic effect of a meal (TEM), anthropome
try, and dietary intakes were measured in 18 control subjects; 18 preg
nant women at 12, 24, and 34 wk gestation; and in 17 of these women at
12 and 24 wk postpartum, to uncover any metabolic economy associated
with either pregnancy or lactation. Results indicated that the BMR and
TEM were not associated with any energy saving either during pregnanc
y or lactation. Mean weight gain from 12 wk gestation to term was 11.4
+/- 3.7 kg; mean birth weight of the infants was 3.06 +/- 0.41 kg. Es
timated gain in adipose tissue and fat mass were 3.1 +/- 3.6 and 2.5 /- 2.9 kg, respectively. Energy cost of pregnancy was estimated to be
303 +/- 171 MJ. The cumulative increase in energy intake over the last
two trimesters of pregnancy was 290 +/- 280 MJ, meeting a large part
of the total estimated cost of pregnancy. Weight gained by infants who
were exclusively breast-fed from birth to 12 wk of age was used as a
proxy indicator of adequate lactational performance. The extra energy
required during lactation appeared to have been met largely by increas
es in energy intake, rather than by any metabolic economy or increase
in fat mobilization.