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REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1476672

Micro-nutrient Sufficiency in Mothers and Babies: Management of deficiencies while avoiding overload during pregnancy

Provisionally accepted
SANABIL YAQOOB SANABIL YAQOOB 1*NOOR FATIMA NOOR FATIMA 2laraib rana laraib rana 2Aysha Imtiaz Aysha Imtiaz 3Muneeba Afzal Muneeba Afzal 2zara kashif zara kashif 2Yongkun Ma Yongkun Ma 1*
  • 1 Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
  • 2 University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
  • 3 Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Pregnancy is a period characterized by extensive physiological changes in both the mother and fetus. During this period, the nutritional status of the mother has a profound and irreversible impact on her health and the growth and development of the fetus. The fetus depends exclusively on the mother and drives nutrients through the placenta. Therefore, mothers must be provided with a well-balanced diet that is adequate in both macro-and micronutrients. Most pregnant women generally manage to get adequate macronutrients; however, many women fail to get micronutrients up to the recommended dietary allowance. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are necessary for preventing congenital abnormalities and the optimal development of the brain and body of the fetus. Their inadequacy can lead to complications like anemia, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, maternal and fetal hypothyroidism, premature infants, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and other negative pregnancy outcomes. New studies recommend the use of prenatal micronutrient supplements to prevent birth defects and health issues caused by deficiencies in folic acid, iron, iodine, and calcium during pregnancy. Especially important in developing nations where deficiencies are prevalent. Also while using these supplements, their upper limits (UL) must be considered to avoid overload.In this review, we provide an overview of the four most critical micronutrients during pregnancy: iron, folic acid, iodine, and calcium. We provide insight into their sources, RDAs, deficiency consequences, and the need for supplementation while considering the risk of micronutrient overload. To maximize the potential benefits while minimizing the risk of nutrient overload, although knowledge gaps remain.

    Keywords: Pregnancy, Micronutrients, supplementation, fetal growth, Iron, Folic Acid, Calcium

    Received: 06 Aug 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 YAQOOB, FATIMA, rana, Imtiaz, Afzal, kashif and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    SANABIL YAQOOB, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
    Yongkun Ma, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.