ENERGY-METABOLISM DURING PREGNANCY - INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL ENERGY STATUS

Additional energy requirements for term pregnancies are traditionally estimated as 1200 kJ/d or 325 MJ. These estimates approximate measured energy costs for well-nourished women, but non-Western populations su bsisting on limited diets have much lower expenditures. Based on recen t studies of energy expenditure during pregnancy, this paper reviews t he 1) association between gestational weight gain and fat gain, 2) the influence of maternal energy status on basal metabolic energy expendi ture in late pregnancy, and 3) potential energy metabolism adaptations available to pregnant women and how adaptations vary with energy stat us. Available data suggest that additional energy requirements during pregnancy vary from 0 to 500 MJ and depend on maternal energy status. If energy supplies are limited, adaptations spare energy for fetal gro wth; if energy is abundant, energy balance may be achieved in differen t ways depending on individual behavioral changes in food intake or ac tivity patterns and on adjustments in basal metabolism or fat depositi on.