Dietary Intake and Eating Behavior During Pregnancy by Pre-Pregnancy Nutritional Status

Excess body weight before pregnancy is common and may be associated with suboptimal dietary intake and adverse metabolic outcomes. This study aimed to assess dietary intake and selected metabolic parameters in pregnant women with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity compared with women of normal pre-pregnancy body weight, and to explore changes following nutritional education.

The study included 62 pregnant women between 10 and 36 weeks of gestation. The study group consisted of 44 women with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity, while the control group included 18 women with normal pre-pregnancy body weight. Dietary intake was assessed using repeated 24 h dietary recalls and analyzed before and after a nutritional education intervention. Nutrient intake was compared with national dietary reference values, and selected biochemical parameters were analyzed.

Before nutritional education, diets in both groups were characterized by a high proportion of energy derived from fat, excessive intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), sodium, and phosphorus, and insufficient intake of dietary fiber, vitamin D, folates, iron, and iodine. After nutritional education, modest changes in dietary composition were observed, including a reduction in SFA and sucrose intake and a slight shift toward a higher proportion of energy derived from protein. However, improvements in biochemical parameters were limited.

In this exploratory study, short-term nutritional education during pregnancy was associated with modest dietary modifications but had a limited impact on metabolic parameters. The results do not support strong clinical recommendations or modifications of existing dietary guidelines but underscore the need for larger, well-powered studies with longer follow-up to better evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional interventions in pregnant women with different pre-pregnancy nutritional statuses.