Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T04:06:28.327Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A dietary and clinical survey of pregnant women with particular reference to toxaemia of pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

W. Hobson
W. Hobson
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine, Whatley Road, Clifton, Bristol
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

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.

An individual dietary survey of 111 primiparae was carried out in Bristol during 1947. Compared with a group studied by McCance in 1938, these women were getting twice as much milk, more bread, potatoes, vegetables and fish; they were getting less meat, butter and margarine. 84 % were taking supplements of vitamins A and D.

Compared with the N.R.C. standard for pregnant women the diets were very poor, not one reaching the standard. It is felt that the N.R.C. standard for pregnant women is set too high. Compared with the standard for sedentary women there were deficiencies in vitamins B and C, the most marked being in nicotinic acid (74% of diets). As a group they appeared to be well nourished, only 8 % had a Hb below 80% and only one a plasma protein below 5·5 g./100 c.c.; there were no stigmata usually attributable to nutritional deficiencies. The only complication of note was toxaemia, which occurred in 15% of cases. The only deficiency in the diet common to all cases of toxaemia was in nicotinic acid. The mean intake of nicotinic acid was 2·0 mg. lower in the toxaemic group than the mean intake of nicotinic acid in the normal subjects. This difference was statistically significant. Evidence is presented which suggests that deficiency of nicotinic acid or vitamin B6 may be a predisposing factor in the production of toxaemia of pregnancy. The main cause of defective nutrition appears to be ignorance and not lack of money, this is an additional reason for the promotion of an intensive nutritional education programme.

The appointment of dietitians to ante-natal clinics is stressed as an important step in promoting education in nutritional matters during pregnancy.

The use and abuse of recommended allowances in pregnancy is discussed and the following diet is suggested as a reasonable practical allowance for pregnant women: calories, 2500; protein, 1·5 g. per kg. body weight; calcium, 1·5 g.; iron, 15 mg.; vitamin A, 3500 units (pre-formed); vitamin D, 800 units; vitamin B1; 1·5 mg.; riboflavin, 2·0 mg.; nicotinic acid, 14 mg.; vitamin C, 50 mg.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 46 , Issue 2 , July 1948 , pp. 198 - 216
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1948

References

REFERENCES

Arnell, R. E. & Guerriero, W. F. (1942). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 43, 467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnell, R. E.et al. (1945). J. Amer. Med. Ass. 127, 1101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold, A. & Elvehjem, C. A. (1939). Amer. J. Physiol. 126, 289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bacharach, L. A. (1940–1941). Nutr. Abstr. Rev. 10, pp. 459–65.Google Scholar
Balfour, W. M.et al. (1942). J. Exp. Med. 76, 15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bibb, I. D. (1941). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 42, 103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bicknell, F. & Prescott, F. (1947). The Vitamins in Medicine. London: William Heinemann.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browne, J. (1943). Brit. Med. J. 1, 445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browne, J. (1944). J. Obstet. Gynaec. 51, 438.Google Scholar
Brzezinski, A.et al. (1947). J. Obstet. Gynaec. 54, 182.Google Scholar
Burke, B. S.et al. (1943). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 46, 38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burke, B. S.et al. (1943). J. Nutrit. 26, 259.Google Scholar
Calder, R. M. (1944). J. Exp. Med. 79, 215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheldelin, V. H. & Williams, R. W. (1943). J. Nutrit. 26, 417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chick, H., Macrae, T. F., Martin, A. J. P. & Martin, C. J. (1938). Biochem. J. 32, 2207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chick, H., Macrae, T. F. & Worden, A. N. (1940). Biochem. J. 34, 595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clements, F. W. (1942). Med. J. Aust. 1, 12, 336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davidson, L. S. P. & Anderson, T. A. (1947). A Text-book of dietetics. London: Hamish Hamilton.Google Scholar
Dieckmann, W. J. (1938). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 36, 623.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dieckmann, W. J.et al. (1944). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 47, 357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodge, E. F. & Frost, T.T. (1938). J. Amer. Med. Ass. 111, 1898.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duckworth, J. & Warnock, G. (1942). Nutr. Abstr. Rev. 8, 841.Google Scholar
Duncan, A. C. (1947). Lancet, 2, 919.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ebbs, J. H.et al. (1941). J. Nutrit. 22, 515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellinger, P.et al. (1944). Nature, Lond., 154, 270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fixsen, M. A. B. & Roscoe, M. H. (1939–1940). Nutr. Abstr. Rev. 9, 795.Google Scholar
Garry, R. C. & Woods, M. O. (1946). Nutr. Abstr. Rev. 15, 591.Google Scholar
Holman, W. I. M. (1941). J. Nutrit. 22, 197.Google Scholar
Holman, W. I. M. (1945). Nutr. Abstr. Rev. 15, 387.Google Scholar
Holmes, O. M. (1941). West. J. Surg. Obstet. Gynaec. 49, 56.Google Scholar
Hunter, G. & Pett, L. B. (1941). Canad. Publ. Hlth J. 32, 259.Google Scholar
King, Gordon & Ride, L. T. (1945). J. Obstet. Gynaec. 52, 130.Google Scholar
McCance, R. A., Widdowson, E. M. & Verdon-Roe, C. M. (1938). J. Hyg., Camb., 38, 596.Google Scholar
McCance, R. A. & Widdowson, E. M. (1942). Spec. Rep. Ser. Med. Res. Coun., Lond., no. 235.Google Scholar
McCance, R. A.et al. (1943). Lancet, 2, 126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mc Vicar, R. W. & Berryman, G. H. (1946). J. Nutrit. 24, 235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macy, I. G. (1942). Nutrition and Chemical Growth in Children, 1. Springfield. U.S.A.: Charles C. Thomas.Google Scholar
Ministry of Food, Manual of Nutrition (1947). London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Najjar, V. A. & Holt, L. E. Jr (1943). J. Amer. Med. Ass. 123, 683.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Najjar, V. A.et al. (1944). J. Amer. Med. Ass. 126, 357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oldham, H. G.et al. (1937). Amer. J. Dis. Child. 54, 252.Google Scholar
Oldham, M. H. (1941). J. Nutrit. 22, 197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patton, R. A.et al. (1944). J. Biol. Chem. 152, 181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peoples League op Health (1942). Lancet, 2, 10.Google Scholar
Richards, M. B. (1945). Brit. Med. J. 1, 433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, R.A.et al. (1938). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 35, 426.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, R. A. (1947). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 54, 723.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sandstedd, H. R. & Anderson, R. K. (1947). Publ. Hlth Rep. 25 07 1947, 62, no. 30, p. 1073.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherman, J. (1943). J. Amer. Med. Ass. 122, 228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siddall, A. C. (1940). Amer. J. Obstet. Gynaec. 39, 818.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sinclair, H. M. (1942). Proc. Nutr. Soc. 1, 233.Google Scholar
Strauss, M. B. (1935). Amer. J. Med. Soc. 190, 811.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Table of Nutritive Value of Wartime Foods (1945). M.R.C., London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Widdowson, E. M. (1936). J. Hyg., Camb., 36, 269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Widdowson, E. M. (1947). A study of individual children's diets. Spec. Rep. Ser. Med. Res. Coun., Lond., no. 257. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Widdowson, E. M. & McCance, R. A. (1944). Proc. Nutr. Soc. 3, 110.Google Scholar