Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T23:56:19.075Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Energy-sparing adaptations in human pregnancy assessed by whole-body calorimetry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

A. M. Prentice ,
G. R. Goldberg ,
H. L. Davies ,
P. R. Murgatroyd  and
W. Scott
A. M. Prentice
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ
G. R. Goldberg
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ
H. L. Davies
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ
P. R. Murgatroyd
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ
W. Scott
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The hypothesis that the energy cost of human pregnancy can be minimized by energy-sparing metabolic adaptations was tested using serial 24 h whole-body calorimetry. Eight healthy, well-nourished women were studied prepregnant and at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 weeks gestation. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) showed highly characteristic changes within each subject and large inter-individual differences (F 3.5, P < 0.01). Some subjects showed a highly significant depression of metabolism up to 24 weeks gestation in support of the initial hypothesis. At 36 weeks BMR ranged from +8.6 to +35.4% relative to the prepregnant baseline. This wide variability was not explained by differences in the amount of lean tissue gained. Women displaying the energy-sparing suppression of BMR tended to be thin, suggesting that changes in metabolism may be responsive to initial energy status (ΔBMR ν. prepregnant body fat: r 0.84, P < 0.005). Changes in 24 h energy expenditure closely paralleled changes in BMR (r 0.98, P < 0.001), since the energy cost of minor voluntary activity and thermogenesis remained very constant within each individual. Pregnancy decreased the net cost of weight-dependent and weight-independent standard exercises when expressed per kg body-weight: stepping – 10 (sd 2)%, P < 0.001 at 18–36 weeks, cycling - 26 (sd 7)%, P < 0.01 at 12–36 weeks. The average integrated maintenance costs of pregnancy matched previous group estimates from well-nourished women, but individual estimates ranged from - 16 to + 276 MJ (coefficient of variation 93%). This high level of variability has important implications for the prescription of incremental energy intakes during pregnancy. It may also have had evolutionary significance.

Keywords

Energy-sparing adaptationsPregnancyWhole-body calorimetry
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 62 , Issue 1 , July 1989 , pp. 5 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1989

References

REFERENCES

Apfelbaum, M., Bostsarron, J. & Lacatis, D. (1971). Effect of caloric restriction and excessive caloric intake on energy expenditure. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 24, 1404–1409.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, D., Cole, T.J., Dauncey, M.J., Marrs, R.W. & Murgatroyd, P.R. (1984). Analysis of gaseous exchange in open-circuit indirect calorimetry. Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing 22, 333–338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dallosso, H.M., Murgatroyd, P.R. & James, W.P.T. (1982). Feeding frequency and energy balance in adult males. Human Nutrition: Clinical Nutrition 36C, 25–39.Google ScholarPubMed
Durnin, J.V.G.A. (1987). Energy requirements of pregnancy. An integrated study in five countries: background and methods. Lancet ii, 895–896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durnin, J.V.G.A., McKillop, F.M., Grant, S. & Fitzgerald, G. (1985). Is nutritional status endangered by virtually no extra intake during pregnancy? Lancet ii, 823–825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durnin, J.V.G.A., McKillop, F.M., Grant, S. & Fitzgerald, G. (1987). Energy requirements of pregnancy in Scotland. Lancet ii, 897–900.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forsum, E., Sadurskis, A. & Wager, J. (1985). Energy maintenance cost during pregnancy in healthy Swedish women. Lancet i, 107–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Illingworth, P.J., Jung, R.T., Howie, P.W. & Isles, T.E. (1987). Reduction in postprandial energy expenditure during pregnancy. British Medical Journal 294, 1573–1576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawrence, M., Lawrence, F., Coward, W.A., Cole, T.J. & Whitehead, R.G. (1987). Energy requirements of pregnancy in The Gambia. Lancet ii, 1072–1076.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lotgering, F.K., Gilbert, R.D. & Longo, L.D. (1985). Maternal and fetal responses to exercise during pregnancy. Physiological Reviews 65, 1–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prentice, A.M., Coward, W.A., Davies, H.L., Murgatroyd, P.R., Goldberg, G.R., Black, A.E., Sawyer, M., Ashford, J. & Whitehead, R.G. (1985). Unexpectedly low levels of energy expenditure in healthy women. Lancet i, 1419–1422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prentice, A.M. & Whitehead, R.G. (1987). The energetics of human reproduction. Zoological Society of London Symposia 57, 275–304.Google Scholar
Seitchik, J. (1967). Total body water and body density of pregnant women. Obstetrics and Gynecology 29, 155–166.Google ScholarPubMed
Soares, M.J. & Shetty, P.S. (1987). Long-term stability of metabolic rates in young adult males. Human Nutrition: Clinical Nutrition 41C, 287–290.Google Scholar
Solomon, S.J., Kurzer, M.S. & Calloway, D.H. (1982). Menstrual cycle and basal metabolic rate in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 36, 611–616.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sukhatme, P.V. & Margen, S. (1982). Autoregulatory homoeostatic nature of energy balance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 35, 355–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thongprasert, K., Tanphaichitre, V., Valyasevi, A., Kittigool, J. & Durnin, J.V.G.A. (1987). Energy requirements of pregnancy in rural Thailand. Lancet ii, 1010–1012.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tuazon, M.A.G., van Raaij, J.M.A., Hautvast, J.G.A.J. & Barba, C.V.C. (1987). Energy requirements of pregnancy in the Philippines. Lancet ii, 1129–1131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Raaij, J.M.A., Vermaat-Miedema, S.H., Schonk, C.M., Peek, M.E.M. & Hautvast, J.G.A.J. (1987). Energy requirements of pregnancy in The Netherlands. Lancet ii, 953–955.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weir, J.B.deV. (1949). New methods for calculating metabolic rate with special reference to protein metabolism. Journal of Physiology 109, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed