Tuesday, September 26, 2006 Pregnant, breastfeeding Pinays low in energy, nutrient intake: survey
ASIDE from children, pregnant and breastfeeding women are also vulnerable or at-risk to malnutrition. This is because of the increased nutrient needs during these physiological stages.
The women's childbearing and nurturing roles sometimes work to their disadvantage. They devote most of their time to their family and neglect their own health. This makes them more vulnerable to malnutrition.
Hence, it is important that pregnant and breastfeeding women get all the support and care they need from loved ones to carry the additional burden of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
During pregnancy, there are special nutrient needs to meet the demand of the growing fetus, which depend entirely on the nourishment from the mother's food. There is a need for additional nutrients such as energy, protein, folate, iron, calcium and iodine to ensure a healthy baby.
The mother's nutrient reserves are usually depleted when her food intake is not enough. It is a natural mechanism that the growing fetus will make use of the nutrient reserves of the mother to protect the pregnancy outcome, but to the risk of the mother's health. More often than not, the baby will have a low birth weight of less than 2.5 kilograms because of inadequate nutrients from the mother's womb.
Thus, women need to be healthy and well-nourished even before thinking of getting pregnant to ensure a successful pregnancy.
While during breastfeeding, an adequate and well-balanced diet is needed for continuous milk supply to give all the nutritional needs of the baby exclusively for six months and onwards.
The Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) conducted a Food Consumption Survey on the food intake of Filipino pregnant and breastfeeding women as a component of the National Nutrition Survey. The survey revealed that Filipino pregnant and breastfeeding women are eating less than what is required based on the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (Reni).
Based on said survey results, the dietary pattern of pregnant and breastfeeding women is a rice-fish-vegetable combination. When the daily food intake was computed to equivalent nutrients, it is alarming that except for niacin, all other nutrients are below the Reni.
Among pregnant women, energy and protein intake is only 78.4 percent and 84.7 percent adequate, respectively. For breastfeeding women, energy and protein intake is only 75.0 percent and 73.9 percent adequate, respectively.
Iron, the nutrient specifically important for maternal blood volume and iron stores of the baby, is only 28.8 percent adequate for pregnant women and 33.4 percent adequate for breastfeeding women based on Reni.
Mean riboflavin intake does not meet one-half of the requirements of pregnant women at 48.1 percent and of breastfeeding women at 45.5 percent.
Intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and thiamin are all less than 80 percent adequate for both pregnant and lactating women.
The results demand urgent action on the alarming dietary intake of Filipino pregnant and breastfeeding women. A need to constantly educate pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, soon to be mothers and even teenagers on the importance of mothers' health and nutritional status and the role of proper diet for pregnant and breastfeeding is a must.
Government needs to intensify campaign on healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding at the community level. (DOST)
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