New National Academy of Sciences Guidelines for Nutrition During Pregnancy

In June 1990, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a report, Nutrition During Pregnancy, that recommends individualized assessment-based nutritional management for pregnant women. This is the first publication by the NAS on maternal nutrition since the Food and Nutrition Board's landmark report Maternal Nutrition and the Course of Pregnancy was published in 1970. The newer report is divided into two parts; the first part is on weight gain, and the second part deals with nutrient supplementation during pregnancy. Dr. Roy Pitkin, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gyne-cology, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, chaired the Committee on Nutritional Status During Pregnancy and Lactation, which authored the 1990 report.