懷孕期蛋白質來源與新生兒體型之相關性研究

This study examined the animal and plant protein intakes with related nutrients and food items during pregnancy for 193 Taiwanese women to identify the impact of dietary sources to birth sizes. We collected 24-h dietary recalls during pregnancy and analyzed data before and after 28 weeks of pregnancy. The results showed the means for fat and carbohydrate intakes were significantly higher in late pregnancy than in early pregnancy, but not the protein intakes. The average energy intake of late pregnancy was significantly higher than early pregnancy (2073 kcal vs 1918 kcal, = 0.001). During early pregnancy, the energy and protein intake per kilogram of body weight was significantly higher than late pregnancy (energy: 33 vs 31 kcal/kg, = 0.001; protein: 1.3 vs 1.2 g/kg, < 0.001). During the whole pregnancy, the wheat (23.4%), soybean (8.1%) and rice (7.0%) contributed to the main proportion of plant protein consumption. The pork (11.9%), poultry (8.4%) and milk (7.9%) were main sources of animal protein. The ratio of animal and plant protein intake was about 1:1. The percentage of total protein in the three meals was 23%, 38%, and 39%, respectively. Partial correlation showed no significant correlation between plant and animal protein per kilogram of body weight and birth sizes during the whole pregnancy, respectively. This study suggests that dietary protein including plant and animal sources may not have strong impact on birth sizes in a food abundant environment such as Taiwan; however, healthy food choices and dietary intake during pregnancy are still important.