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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Introduction: Portuguese population is drifting away from the Mediterranean diet-like pattern. In this context, the current nutritional
status of women of childbearing age and of pregnant Portuguese women and their growing fetuses is critically reviewed.
Material and Methods: A narrative critical review was performed on recent published high quality studies assessing diet and nutritional
status of women of childbearing age and pregnant women and its influence on the nutritional status of their offspring.
Results: Data from five multinational ecological studies that included Portugal, two national official surveys on food availability, seven
national studies on the diet and nutritional status of women of childbearing age and pregnant women, and five national studies on the
effect of nutritional maternal factors on their growing fetuses were selected and analyzed. The prevalence of overweight/obesity has
dramatically increased in Portuguese women of childbearing age and pregnant women, associated with the described trend of low
adherence to Mediterranean diet. Variations in energy and macronutrients intakes during pregnancy seem to have no significantly
impact on the nutritional status of growing fetuses. On contrary, pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity has been associated with increased
offspring adiposity at birth, and an excessive gestational weight gain may be associated with offspring’s overweight status in childhood.
Factors potentially contributing to low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, deserving further investigation, include European Union
agriculture policies that have implemented the production of non-Mediterranean food groups at low cost, and insufficient financial
capacity to afford foods of quality reported by Portuguese population.
Conclusion: Retrieving traditional Mediterranean dietary habits should be incorporated into strategies for prevention and treatment of
overweight/obesity in Portugal, especially in women of childbearing age.
Description
Keywords
Diet Mediterranean Patient Compliance Portugal Pregnancy Pregnant Women
Citation
PEREIRA-DA-SILVA, Luís; PINTO, Elisabete - Low Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in Portugal: Pregnant Women Nutrition in Portugal and its Repercussions. Acta Médica Portuguesa. ISSN 1646-0758. Vol. 29, n.º 10 (2016), p. 658-666