Pregnancy weight gain: still controversial
ABSTRACT During the 20th century, recommendations for maternal weight gain in pregnancy were controversial, ranging from rigid restriction to encouragement of ample gain. In 1990, the Institute
of Medicine (IOM) recommended weight-gain ranges with the primary goal of improving infant birth weight. These guidelines were widely adopted but not universally accepted. Critics have argued that
the IOM’s recommendations are unlikely to improve perinatal outcomes and may actually increase the risk of negative consequences to both infants and mothers. We systematically reviewed studies that examined fetal and maternal outcomes according to the IOM’s weight-gain recommendations in women with a normal prepregnancy weight. These studies showed that pregnancy weight gain within the IOM’s recommended ranges is associated with the best outcome for both mothers and infants. However, weight gain in most pregnant women is not within the IOM’s ranges. All of the studies reviewed were observational and there is a compelling need to conduct experimental studies to examine interventional strategies to improve maternal weight gain with the objective of optimizing health outcomes.
INTRODUCTION
During the past 50 y, recommendations for pregnancy weight gain have been highly controversial in the United States. During the first half of the century, American obstetricians restricted weight gain during pregnancy to prevent toxemia, difficult births, and maternal obesity. Williams’ Obstetrics (1), a prestigious American textbook, stated in 1966 that “Excessive weight gain in pregnancy is highly undesirable for several reasons; it is essential to curtail the increment in gain to 25 lb (12.5 kg) at most or preferably 15 lb (6.8 kg). The experienced obstetrician is convinced of the complications, both major and minor, caused by excessive weight gain in pregnancy. Although restriction of the gain in weight to 20 lb (9.1 kg) may be difficult in many cases, requiring careful dietary control and discipline, it is a highly
desirable objective.”
This policy of severe weight restriction was challenged in the 1960s, when experts began to recognize that the relatively high rates of infant mortality, disability, and mental retardation seen in the United States were a function of low birth weight. In 1970, a review of the scientific evidence by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the usual practice of restricting maternal weight gain was associated with increased risk of low birth weight. The National Academy of Sciences Committee on
Maternal Nutrition concluded that a weight-reduction program that distorts normal prenatal gain should not be followed during pregnancy and increased the formal recommendation for pregnancy weight gain to 9–11.4 kg (2).
A few years after the policy of weight-gain restriction was lifted, average prenatal weight gain in US women increased from
Pregnancy weight gain: still controversial
ABSTRACT During the 20th century, recommendations for maternal weight gain in pregnancy were controversial, ranging from rigid restriction to encouragement of ample gain. In 1990, the Institute
of Medicine (IOM) recommended weight-gain ranges with the primary goal of improving infant birth weight. These guidelines were widely adopted but not universally accepted. Critics have argued that
the IOM’s recommendations are unlikely to improve perinatal outcomes and may actually increase the risk of negative consequences to both infants and mothers. We systematically reviewed studies that examined fetal and maternal outcomes according to the IOM’s weight-gain recommendations in women with a normal prepregnancy weight. These studies showed that pregnancy weight gain within the IOM’s recommended ranges is associated with the best outcome for both mothers and infants. However, weight gain in most pregnant women is not within the IOM’s ranges. All of the studies reviewed were observational and there is a compelling need to conduct experimental studies to examine interventional strategies to improve maternal weight gain with the objective of optimizing health outcomes.
INTRODUCTION
During the past 50 y, recommendations for pregnancy weight gain have been highly controversial in the United States. During the first half of the century, American obstetricians restricted weight gain during pregnancy to prevent toxemia, difficult births, and maternal obesity. Williams’ Obstetrics (1), a prestigious American textbook, stated in 1966 that “Excessive weight gain in pregnancy is highly undesirable for several reasons; it is essential to curtail the increment in gain to 25 lb (12.5 kg) at most or preferably 15 lb (6.8 kg). The experienced obstetrician is convinced of the complications, both major and minor, caused by excessive weight gain in pregnancy. Although restriction of the gain in weight to 20 lb (9.1 kg) may be difficult in many cases, requiring careful dietary control and discipline, it is a highly
desirable objective.”
This policy of severe weight restriction was challenged in the 1960s, when experts began to recognize that the relatively high rates of infant mortality, disability, and mental retardation seen in the United States were a function of low birth weight. In 1970, a review of the scientific evidence by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the usual practice of restricting maternal weight gain was associated with increased risk of low birth weight. The National Academy of Sciences Committee on
Maternal Nutrition concluded that a weight-reduction program that distorts normal prenatal gain should not be followed during pregnancy and increased the formal recommendation for pregnancy weight gain to 9–11.4 kg (2).
A few years after the policy of weight-gain restriction was lifted, average prenatal weight gain in US women increased from
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
