This document discusses macronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy. It defines macronutrients as nutrients needed in large amounts like energy, protein, fatty acids and carbohydrates. Inadequate intake of these can lead to undernutrition and deficiency syndromes. The document then examines the roles and risks of deficiencies in energy/protein/carbohydrates/fatty acids during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, low birth weight, unhealthy fetal development and impaired brain development in the embryo. Maintaining sufficient macronutrients is important for both maternal and fetal health outcomes.

1. Nutritional Deficiency-
Macronutrient
Environmental Factor Affecting the Embryo
(BAYOG, BOBILA, ESTEBAN, VILLANUEVA)

2. ● Nutritional status during pregnancy can
have a significant impact on maternal and
neonatal health outcomes.
● Requirements for macronutrients such
as energy and protein increase during
pregnancy to maintain maternal
homeostasis while supporting foetal
growth.

3. Macronutrients Deficiency are lack
of required large amounts of
nutrients that are needed in minute
amounts of the body. Lack of
nutrients can result in undernutrition,
which can lead to deficiency
syndromes.
What is Macronutrient
Deficiency?

4. ● ENERGY
● PROTEIN
● GLYCAEMIC INDEX,
GLYCAEMIC LOAD and FIBER
● FATTY ACIDS
Macronutrients in
Pregnancy

5. ● Energy intake is the main determinant of gestational
weight gain.
● Extra energy is required for the synthesis of new tissue.
● Appropriate maternal energy intake is important to
prevent poor pregnancy outcomes associated with both
insufficient and excessive gestational weight gain.
ENERGY

6. ● Gestational Diabetes
● Macrosomic Infant
RISK:

7. PROTEIN
● Protein is involved in both structural and functional
biological roles.
● Protein is necessary for growth, repair and maintenance.
● Animal protein sources are considered “complete
proteins” because they provide all nine indispensable
amino acids.

8. ● Unhealthy Fetal Development
● Low Birth Weight (LBW)
● Protein Deficiency
RISK:

9. GLYCAEMIC INDEX,
GLYCAEMIC LOAD and FIBRE
● The glycaemic index (GI) quantifies glycaemic responses induced by
carbohydrates from different foods.
● Glycaemic load (GL) takes into account both the quality (GI) and quantity
of carbohydrates in food and is obtained by multiplying the GI by the
carbohydrate content of a given food.
● Dietary fibre describes a variety of plant-based carbohydrates that are
resistant to digestion by human gastrointestinal enzymes. These include
soluble fibre (fruits, vegetables, legumes), insoluble fibre (nuts,
wholegrain bread or cereals) or resistant starch (cooked potato and rice).

10. ● The brain of the embryo needs glucose to receive messages from
the body and interpret them. In severe cases in women with
diabetes, hypoglycemia can lead to seizures, coma, and even
death.
● Based on the currently available evidence, the use of a low-GI
diet during pregnancy would appear to have no disadvantages.
RISK:

11. FATTY ACIDS
● Fatty acids are key structural components of cell membranes and are
vital for tissue formation.
● Two PUFAs, arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are
critical to fetal and infant central nervous system (CNS) growth and
development.
● Therefore, dietary intake of fatty acids, particularly long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as DHA and EPA, is important
during pregnancy to meet the requirements of the mother as well as
the developing fetus.

12. ● Clinical signs of essential fatty acid deficiency include a
dry scaly rash, decreased growth in infants and children,
increased susceptibility to infection, and poor wound
healing.
● Symptoms of an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include
visual problems and sensory nerve disorders.
RISK:

13. Summary

14. Thank You for Listening!