Question

1. A closer look - The role of nutrient status on gestation

PART A:

Adequate nutrition is essential during pregnancy for proper development of the fetus. Inadequate nutrition can lead to increased health risks for both the baby and the mother, thus it is important to understand what nutrients are necessary for the health of both, and why.

Read the description of a critical nutrient needed during pregnancy and how it influences the growing fetus, then match it with the effect of inadequate intake.

Critical Nutrients in Pregnancy		Effect (choose correct answer)
Necessary for collagen synthesis, inadequate intake during pregnancy may result in preterm birth.		a) vitamin C b) fat c) zinc
Critical in DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, inadequate intakes during pregnancy may lead to fetal malformations.		a) vitamin C b) fat c) zinc
Critical for brain growth and eye development, inadequate intake during pregnancy may impair fetal brain development.	a) vitamin C b) fat c) zinc

PART B:

Read the description of malnutrition during pregnancy, then match it with its effect.

Malnutrition During Pregnancy	Effect (choose the correct answer)
May occur as a result of an undernourished mother during pregnancy who gains too little weight.	a) unterus b) plancenta c) low birth weight
The source of all nutrition for a developing fetus, malnourishment in a pregnant woman may actually lead to its increased size at the expense of increased fetal size.	a) unterus b) plancenta c) low birth weight
Malnutrition during pregnancy may result in decreased vasculature of this organ that holds the developing fetus.	a) unterus b) plancenta c) low birth weight

PART C:

choose the correct answers that should go within the blanks (answer choices are next to blank in parenthesis)

Pregnant women have nutrient needs that differ from non-pregnant women. Some of these needs should be met even before pregnancy in order to decrease the risk of complications. The following scenario demonstrates a woman at-risk for pregnancy complications.

Lori is a vegan who believes she gets all the nutrients she needs from her diet. She has never taken supplements, even when she was pregnant. Her baby, Mason, was born full-term, but with a small portion of his spinal cord protruding through his vertebrae, resulting in partial paralysis of his legs. This neural tube defect, called _______ (anencephaly, spina bifida) may have been caused by Lori’s insufficient intake of ____ (calcium, vitamin B12) during pregnancy. This micronutrient is necessary for regenerating the active form of ____ (zinc, folate) .

PART D:

Iron is an important micronutrient, especially during pregnancy.

Maternal iron-deficiency anemia during pregnancy results from (Check all that apply.)

a)insufficient iron intake for the increased requirements during pregnancy

b)fetal demand for iron in the third trimester to store in the liver

c)menstruation

d)the fetus taking what it needs from the mother’s iron stores

PART E:

Iron requirements during pregnancy increase by ____ (20%, 75%, 10%, 25%, 100%, 50%) over pre-pregnancy requirements.

Vitamin C ____(negates, increases, decreases, does not affect) iron absorption.

PART F:

Below is a short sample of foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Nutrient Database website (ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/usdandb/Iron-Content.pdf) that lists the iron content of hundreds of different foods. Below the list is a nutrition label from the fictional Mother Nature’s Prenatal Supplements. Use the USDA list (this abbreviated one as well as the one on the USDA website) and the nutrition label to answer the questions that follow.

Food	Serving Size	Iron (mg/serving)
Beef spleen	3 oz	33
Raw soybeans	1 cup	29
Raw goose liver	1 liver	29
Fortified cereals	1 cup	18
Raw pigeon meat	1 pigeon	11
Raw black beans	1 cup	10
Turkey breast	1 breast	8
Dry roasted cashews	1 cup	8
Cooked spinach	1 cup	6
Boiled kidney beans	1 cup	5
Baked potato	1 potato	4
Raw spinach	1 cup	3

Supplement Facts Serving Size 1 tablet Amount Per Tablet % Daily Value for Pregnant and Lactating Women 100% 37 80% Vitamin A 4000 IU 100N Bata Carne Vitamin C mg Vitamin D3200 IU Vitamin E 11 U Thiamin 1.5 mg Riboflavin 1.7 mg Niacin 18 mg Vitamin B1 2.6 mg Folic Acid 800 mcg Vitamin B125 mcg Calciumn 250 mg Iron 27 mg Zinc 11 mg Capsering 90% 104% 100% 150% 100%

How many meals consisting of a turkey breast and a cup of raw spinach would be required per day for a woman to obtain the recommended amount of iron during pregnancy?

a) 1

b) Neither of these foods contains any iron

c) About 2-1/2

How many tablets of the Mother Nature’s Prenatal Supplement would be required per day for a woman to obtain the recommended amount of iron during pregnancy?

a)This supplement contains no iron

b)1

c)1/2

Answer 1

Part A :

Necessary for collagen synthesis, inadequate intake during pregnancy may result in preterm birth : Vitamin C

Critical in DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, inadequate intakes during pregnancy may lead to fetal malformations : Zinc

Critical for brain growth and eye development, inadequateintake during pregnancy may impair fetal brain development : Fat

Part B :

May occur as a result of an undernourished mother during pregnancy who gains too little weight. : c) Low birth weight.

The source of all nutrition for a developing fetus, malnourishment in a pregnant woman may actually lead to its increased size at the expense of increased fetal size: b) Placenta.

Malnutrition during pregnancy may result in decreased vasculature of this organ that holds the developing fetus.: a) Uterus

Part C:

This neural tube defect called spina bifida may have been caused by Lori's insufficient intake of Vitamin B12 during pregnancy. This micronutrient is necessary for regenerating the active form of folate.

Part D :

Answer: a, b and d.

Part E:

Iron requirements during pregnancy increases by 75% over pre pregnancy requirements.

Vitamin C increases iron absorption.

Part F:

Answer : c) about 2-1/2