Metabolism and nutrition during pregnancy Implications for child health

The issue of an optimal diet during pregnancy has attracted growing interest in recent years. One reason could be that the maternal diet not only has a strong influence on the course of pregnancy but also possibly has a long-term impact on child health. In principle, pregnant women are recommended to follow a balanced healthy diet, whereas the energy requirement is only moderately elevated, if at all. Women should avoid excessive weight gain during the gestational period, particularly if they are overweight or obese. In addition, preconceptional supplementation with folic acid and intake of an iodine supplement are recommended. In individual cases administration of iron, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and vitamin D can be meaningful. Recent studies have shown that many women wish to receive counselling, so that pregnancy care should be extended to include lifestyle and dietary counselling.