MICRONUTRIENTS IN PREGNANCY AND LACTATION

Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals and, as their name suggests, are small in both size and the amounts required by the body to function. Whilst macronutrients yield energy, micronutrients do not; they assist with regulating growth and facilitating the release of energy. In pregnancy, micronutrients nourish the mother and are responsible for vital life processes such as DNA synthesis and cell division. It is worth noting that conditions and diseases that occur later in life such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease may actually originate from, or at the very least be influenced by, the nutrition the fetus receives in utero (Barker, 1994). Ensuring a diet which adequately meets micronutrient requirements during pregnancy is therefore of utmost importance for pregnant women, their children and all future generations. It is true that requirements for micronutrients increase during pregnancy; however, in general so does the body’s ability to meet these requirements, as physiological adaptations will occur in the pregnant woman to meet most of the increased need.