Protein turnover and urea kinetics during pregnancy, maternal body composition and fetal growth
Protein turnover and urea kinetics during pregnancy, maternal body composition and fetal growth
In mid pregnancy protein synthesis accounted for 11% of the variation in resting metabolic rate, while the energy cost of protein synthesis was 3.5 kJ/g protein. The P ratio indicated that 20% of energy was obtained from the oxidation of protein. Similar findings were seen in late pregnancy. It was apparent that the mother's metabolism was influenced by her body composition. Muscle mass and visceral mass together accounted for 39% of the variation in resting metabolic rate in mid pregnancy and 30% in late pregnancy. Mothers with a greater visceral mass had higher rates of protein turnover in mid pregnancy, independent of dietary protein intake, while in late pregnancy maternal height predicted turnover. This may reflect the reliability with which height can be measured later in pregnancy compared to other aspects of body composition. Mothers with a greater muscle mass and those who ate more protein had higher rates of urea production at both time points.
Mothers who synthesised more protein in mid pregnancy had babies who were longer, while heavier babies were born to mothers in whom urea production decreased more during pregnancy. After adjustment for the length of gestation and the baby's sex, 23% of the variation in length at birth was accounted for by maternal protein synthesis in mid pregnancy, while 34% of the variation in birth weight was explained by changes in maternal urea production across gestation. There were no associations between the dietary protein intake of the mother or her body composition and the size of the baby.
A woman's ability to nourish her fetus is, in part, influenced by her metabolism, which itself is related to her body composition. This suggests that women with lower metabolic capacity may be less able to meet the demands of the fetus.
University of Southampton
1999
Duggleby, Sarah Louise
(1999)
Protein turnover and urea kinetics during pregnancy, maternal body composition and fetal growth.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
In mid pregnancy protein synthesis accounted for 11% of the variation in resting metabolic rate, while the energy cost of protein synthesis was 3.5 kJ/g protein. The P ratio indicated that 20% of energy was obtained from the oxidation of protein. Similar findings were seen in late pregnancy. It was apparent that the mother's metabolism was influenced by her body composition. Muscle mass and visceral mass together accounted for 39% of the variation in resting metabolic rate in mid pregnancy and 30% in late pregnancy. Mothers with a greater visceral mass had higher rates of protein turnover in mid pregnancy, independent of dietary protein intake, while in late pregnancy maternal height predicted turnover. This may reflect the reliability with which height can be measured later in pregnancy compared to other aspects of body composition. Mothers with a greater muscle mass and those who ate more protein had higher rates of urea production at both time points.
Mothers who synthesised more protein in mid pregnancy had babies who were longer, while heavier babies were born to mothers in whom urea production decreased more during pregnancy. After adjustment for the length of gestation and the baby's sex, 23% of the variation in length at birth was accounted for by maternal protein synthesis in mid pregnancy, while 34% of the variation in birth weight was explained by changes in maternal urea production across gestation. There were no associations between the dietary protein intake of the mother or her body composition and the size of the baby.
A woman's ability to nourish her fetus is, in part, influenced by her metabolism, which itself is related to her body composition. This suggests that women with lower metabolic capacity may be less able to meet the demands of the fetus.
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Published date: 1999
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Local EPrints ID: 464007
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/464007
PURE UUID: 8779b638-6b0f-41da-84b4-bbc097fb56ed
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 21:00
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 21:00
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Author:
Sarah Louise Duggleby
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