Nutrient intakes during pregnancy in a cohort of nulliparous women

Background: This study investigated dietary intake in a large cohort of pregnant women. There are few data available on the diets of British pregnant women, and no study has previously compared the intakes of pregnant women, from both food and all sources, with those of non-pregnant women or with the current dietary reference values. Methods: Dietary information was collected from 774 pregnant nulliparous women in the early stages of pregnancy as part of the Prospective Study of Nutrition, Smoking and Pregnancy Outcome. Subjects completed 7-day semiquantitative food diaries, which were converted into nutrient values using the COMP-EAT 4 nutritional system. Results: Reference nutrient intake values were achieved by over 65% of the cohort for the nutrients investigated, except for vitamin D, folate, iron and selenium, where there was a considerable shortfall even after taking into account use of nutrient supplements. Conclusion: The dietary intake of the pregnant women in this study appears to be very similar to that of non-pregnant women in the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults.