Diet quality of pregnant Indian women - A systematic review

Pregnancy is a crucial phase as it affects the health and wellbeing of the mother and infant. The objective of this systematic review is to examine studies on the dietary quality of pregnant women across different states of India, as available on PubMed.Twelve papers were found that fitted the inclusion criteria; 3 studies from the states of UP and Pune calculated the macro and micro nutrient as well as the DDS; 6 studies focused just on the DDS and 4 studies focused on the macronutrient intake. The mean energy, protein and fat intake of the PW ranged from 1281 Kcal/ day to 2051.5 Kcal/ day, 30.5 g/ day to 69.6 g/day and 35.1 g/day to 59.6g/day respectively. Energy intake was below the EAR in all the states, protein intake was deficit among the rural PW but urban PW met the EAR for protein and some studies reported high intake up to 60g/day, high fat intake in PW from all Indian states. The diet of PWs were deficit in all the micronutrient except for niacin. Severe deficiency of folic acid, calcium and iron in the diet of Indian PW is a topic of concern. The mean dietary diversity score ranged from 3.3 to 6, with lowest DDS in Uttar Pradesh and highest DDS in Delhi. There is a need of improved ANC care with mandatory counselling of PW and multi nutrient supplementation.