Module 5 : Nutrition In The Womb

Part 1: How Health Begins in the Mother's Womb

Learning Outcomes

• Become familiar with research highlighting how the health of an

infant is shaped by what a mother eats during her pregnancy.

• Know the specific nutrients a pregnant woman needs to take to

support the health of her unborn child.

• Be able to advise of the foods a woman should eat when

pregnant to support the health of her unborn child.

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 A child's nutrition begins before he or she is even born. Medical
evidence has shown that the nutrition that they receive while still
inside the womb is essential for cognitive, emotional, and physical
health in later life. In this module, you will be introduced to different
research that has looked specifically at how the health of an
embryo to a foetus to an infant is shaped by what a mother eats
during her pregnancy.

The module will also look at what specific nutrients a pregnant

woman needs to take and in which foods she will find them.

Finally, you will be given examples of foods that mums to-be should
stay clear of if they want to ensure a healthy pregnancy as well as
the overall health of their baby, from conception to birth and
beyond.

How Health Begins in the Mother's Womb

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In the 1980s, research from David J. Barker, professor of clinical
epidemiology at the University of Southampton medical school,
suggested that the nutritional environment of the womb influenced
both our health at birth and throughout the rest of our lives.

In his studies, Professor Barker showed that adults who suffered

premature heart disease did so not because of their lifestyle habits
(i.e. a sedentary lifestyle or smoking) but as a result of being
underweight at birth. Barker found that infants carried to full term
with birth weights between 8.5 and 9.5 pounds had a 45 percent
lower risk of developing heart disease later in life than infants born at
5.5 pounds. Additionally, they also had a lower risk of stroke, a lower
risk of insulin resistance and a slightly lower risk of high blood pressure
later in life. (D. J. P. Barker, 2007, pp 412-417).
So, what did this mean? Basically, it showed that babies who were
provided with a poor nutritional environment in utero, causing them
to be born underweight, had an overall greater chance of ill-health
in later life than those who were born at a standard weight.

Barker's research was the beginning of Developmental Origins of

Health and Disease theory (DOHAD). This body of study suggested
that a foetus in utero - like human at all stages - adapts to the
environment surrounding it to survive. If that environment provides
poor nutrition, the foetus adapts mechanisms that enables its survival
in that environment (such as the ability to store more calories in the
event of scarcity.) These mechanisms are then permanently
programmed into the structure and physiology of the person who is
born and, therefore, have an effect on future health (D. J. P. Barker,
2007, pp 412-417). In other words, the foetus that had a scarcity of
calories in the womb becomes a person who seeks and stores (in
their body) more calories as an adult.

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 Further studies in the area of DOHAD claimed that undernutrition
during pregnancy affects different organs of the body, even if the
baby's birth weight is normal, and so can increase the risk of disease.

What all of this points to finally, is that the nutritional health of a

mother-to-be influences the lifelong health of her offspring and
therefore should be of important consideration before and during
the pregnancy period.

How Does a Baby Get Nutrients While in the Womb?

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While in the womb, a baby receives nutrients from its mother. These
nutrients come via the mother's bloodstream, which are then
transferred to the placenta, connected to the baby via the umbilical
cord. When a pregnant woman consumes food, whether it's a bowl
of lentils or a greasy burger, her gut absorbs the available molecules
of glucose, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. These are then
drawn in by the placenta, which transfers them through the
umbilical cord to the baby's bloodstream.

In eating a well-balanced diet, which includes plenty of fresh

vegetables and lean meats or other good protein sources, mums-to-
be are absorbing nutrients that support the overall health of the
baby.

For this reason, pregnant women should avoid eating too much
sugar or simple carbohydrates. This has no nutritional content for
either baby or themselves and, in fact, will only serves to add weight
to their already expanding body!

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 Influence on Children's Preferences

A number of studies have been conducted around the idea that

nutritional habits can be passed to a child while in utero.

One experiment carried out by Monell Chemical Senses Center,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, involved one group of mums-to-be
consuming 300ml of carrot juice four days a week for three weeks
during the last trimester of pregnancy, a second group drank the
same amount during the first two months of breastfeeding, and a
third group avoiding all consumption of carrot juice during
pregnancy and breast feeding. As a result, the infants who tasted
high concentrations of carrot in utero and as passed to them during
breastfeeding, had no problems eating carrots during weaning,
while many of the non-carrot juice drinking babies refused the
vegetable altogether.

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Equally, another research paper from the University of Adelaide in
Australia found that the "brain reward pathways" of babies who
were exposed to junk food because their mothers ate a lot of it
during pregnancy and breastfeeding, has become desensitised -
meaning that they craved more of the food, in the same way that
drug addicts crave greater amounts of drugs after consistent use.
Of course, continuing studies are being carried out in this area but
there is little doubt that mothers can influence the health of their
children, even before they are born!

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Part 2: Food to Eat During Pregnancy

There are a number of foods that mums-to-be are advised to eat to

ensure that babies receive specific nutrients that are vital in
supporting the physical and mental development of a child while in
the womb.

Folic Acid Rich Foods

These nutrients are found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach,
cauliflower, and broccoli, as well as in fruits such as oranges and
cantaloupes. Folic acid is very important as it reduces the infant's risk
of developing birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord, such as
spina bifida (partially exposed spinal cord) and anencephaly (a
nearly non-existent brain). The recommended intake for pregnant
women is 800 micrograms, double the requirement of a non-

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 pregnant woman of childbearing age. Many pregnant women take
a supplement to ensure that they are getting the recommended
amount of this nutrient.
Foods Rich in Iron
An iron-rich diet is imperative for women to reduce the risk of a child
being born with impaired psychomotor and cognitive development,
as well as a healthy immune system. Iron is found in dark green
vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, as well as peas, but the
body is best able to absorb it from meat such as beef, pork, and
poultry and fish. Liver is a particularly rich source of iron.

Foods Rich in iodine

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need to ensure they are
taking the required amounts of iodine to help their baby's cognitive
development. Some studies have shown that children born to
mothers who suffered from iodine deficiency have a lower IQ and
decreased psychomotor performance than those who were not.

Foods containing iodine include kelp. seaweed, cow's milk and

eggs.

Foods Rich in Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (AA and DHA)

AA and DHA are long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in oily
fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and other dairy products. They are
essential to the healthy development of an infant's eyes, brain and
vascular system (blood vessels).

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Food to Avoid During Pregnancy

Alcohol

Drinking in pregnancy is to be avoided, but a recent study from the

University of Bristol claim that there is very little evidence that
moderate drinking (less than 4 units per week) harms the foetus. This
is worth mentioning as many mums-to-be become wracked with
guilt thinking over the few glasses of wine they had when unaware
they were pregnant.

However, it must be noted that there is strong evidence that

excessive drinking can seriously harm babies in the womb. For this
reason, the NHS issued guidelines in 2016 imploring women not to
drink at all while pregnant.

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 Processed Foods
Besides the fact that processed foods do not contain the nutrients
required for a baby in utero, they also contain additives and
preservatives that may be harmful to the foetus's development. For
that reason, medical experts advise processed food is limited and
that fresh food is more regularly consumed by pregnant women.

Soft Mould-Ripened Cheese

Soft cheeses made with mould, such as brie, camembert and goat's
cheese, should be avoided as they can contain listeria bacteria,
which can cause the infection listeriosis. This infection, even when
mild, can lead to miscarriage.
The same is true of pâté, even vegetable ones, as they too can
contain listeria.

Raw and Cured Meat

Pregnant women should avoid raw or undercooked meat, being
particularly careful with minced meat and sausage.

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According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), mums-to be should
also avoid cold cured meats such as salami, chorizo, pepperoni and
prosciutto as these meats are also uncooked and so may contain
toxoplasmosis causing parasites.

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