Oral

Title- The Nutritional Environment for Fetal Development: Subtle Impacts within the Range of Normal. Abstract- The first nine months of life (minus 9) are among the most important determinants of lifelong health. Variations in the nutritional milieu during this critical period – all within the range usually considered normal - reflect overall maternal nutritional status (undernourished, normal, overweight or obese), the maternal metabolic situation (e.g, diabetes in its various manifestations), and maternal dietary quality in terms of intakes of micronutrients. Impacts are seen on fetal growth, body composition, and mental/social development observable and measurable in very early postnatal life. The rapid increase in prevalence of overweight and obesity in the world has important implications for infant, child and adult health in the next generations, at least in part through the uterine environment created for the first critical months of development. The double burden of malnutrition and obesity has been repeatedly pointed out in terms of adult morbidity and health care costs, but the impact on the next generations requires attention to the environment of the first nine months of life.

Session Objectives: a) Appreciate the role of maternal obesity in determining fetal growth and long-term risk for overweight b) Describe the role of mild-to-moderate deficits in maternal dietary adequacy and nutritional status in influencing fetal and early infant development

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)