Dietary Patterns and Nutrient Intake in Pregnant Women

Optimum nutrition in pregnancy is important for the health and wellbeing of the mother and the developing child. Nutrition at this time influences the physiological development and metabolism of the foetus and has the potential to determine the future health and disease risk of the offspring. The nutritional status during pregnancy also influences the mother's breast milk, her nutritional status for future pregnancies, and impacts on the burden of chronic disease worldwide. Determining optimal nutrition for different stages of pregnancy and measuring nutrient intake is challenging. Across the world and within communities, different dietary patterns have been identified and linked to health outcomes. Dietary patterns, rather than individual food constituents and nutrients, may have a greater influence on health. This Special Issue brought together global research on dietary patterns and nutrient intakes during pregnancy to further our understanding of the influence of diet on maternal and foetal/infant outcomes.