Annie John Kalarickal
Madinat Zayed Hospital, UAE
Title: Maternal nutrition preconception, pregnancy post-partum, breast feeding- Key to disease prevention
Biography
Biography: Annie John Kalarickal
Abstract
More than prevention, present trend is to deal with disease symptoms, when many of the diseases can be prevented by life style and dietary modifications. Dietitians are trained to give dietary and lifestyle modifications thus helping the community to have health and wellness. Seeking a dietitian’s help while in the hospital or approaching them personally has to be emphatically focused by the health sector. This presentation is a review of evidenced based studies that point to the fact that incidence of diseases like type-2 diabetes, asthma, certain cancers, autism, anemia, micronutrient deficiencies, childhood obesity, allergies, respiratory infections, SIDS, GI problems are linked to maternal lifestyle and dietary habits. By breast feeding; mothers protect themselves from ovarian and breast cancers as well as postpartum depression and better spacing of children/childbirth. Optimum nutrition to the mothers and infants is an important criterion that needs to be addressed. Methods of intervention includes weight optimization <18.5 and >25.0 to be addressed and patients/clients to be referred to the dietitian, exclusive breast feeding advice for 1st 6 months and complementary feeding post 6 months with breast feeding to continue up to 2 years of age, assessment of micronutrient status of infants from 6 months of age, preconception and postpartum micronutrient status of women and activity and healthy eating advice for all women of different lifecycles. Prevention is always better than cure. Control what can be controlled rather than be regretful for not having done it. Good maternal nutrition is always the best start to a new life and continues through lifecycles with good health and wellness