Peter Leibert's Page

Malnutrition and Pregnancy

 “Malnutrition of mothers and its relationship to mental retardation has been of serious concern to people for a very long time” according to John R. Lupien, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.   

Lupien went on to inform us that the world still falls far short of assuring adequate access by all people at all times to the food they need to live healthy and productive lives. 

Mr. Lupien was speaking to the delegates at the XI th World Congress of the International League of Societies for Persons with Mental Handicap (ILSMH).  “The United Nations,” Lupien reported, “estimates that 15% to 20% of the world’s population - roughly 780 million people - still cannot obtain sufficient food to meet even minimum energy needs.”   

This lack of sufficient calories for pregnant women clearly results in large numbers of low birth weight babies.  In addition, malnutrition in the form of deficiencies of iron, iodine, and vitamins continues to cause severe harm to the growth and mental development of the children in almost every country of the world. 

“The most common preventable cause of mental retardation worldwide is iodine deficiency,” Lupien reported.   This condition kills five to 10 babies out of every 1,000 pregnancies.   

Iodine deficiency seriously affects as many as 1,000 million people living in areas where soils lack sufficient amounts of iodine.  Two hundred million people are known to have goiter, while 26 million people suffer from mental defects caused by not having enough iodine. 

Iron deficiency affects over 2,000 million people living in practically all countries.  Most affected are women and children of pre-school age.  Anemia in infants and children is associated with retarded physical growth and development of cognitive abilities. 

Other vitamins and minerals deficiencies, such as vitamins A and B1, niacin, zinc, and selenium can have direct consequences on children’s health.  Vitamin A deficiency has blinded more than 13 million people, and six of every 10 preschool children with the deficiency die.