Energy requirements in pregnancy: a review

The traditional estimates of the additional energy requirements during pregnancy are approximately 300 calories per day or 80,000 calories for a full-term pregnancy. Recently these estimates have been challenged as being excessive, especially for non-Western populations. In light of recent studies and advances in methodology, the purpose of this paper is to review 1) the components of energy expenditure, 2) the different methods of assessing energy expenditure, 3) various factors that may affect energy expenditure during gestation, and 4) the recent literature on energy expenditure in pregnancy. The available data suggest that the energy requirements in pregnancy are varied and depend on the population being examined. Furthermore, additional studies are needed in order to clarify these issues in various normal populations as well as in populations at risk for fetal growth abnormalities.