ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the influence of maternal undernutrition on pregnancy outcome, especially low birth weight, which is the most important determinant of infant mortality and morbidity. Breast milk plays a vital role in infant survival in communities where families cannot afford infant formula, especially where environmental conditions increase the risk of contamination of breast milk substitutes. Nutrient deficiencies can be induced experimentally in other animals, but the applicability of these studies is limited due to differences in reproductive and nutritional physiology. Assessment can be based on physical examinations for clinical indicators of nutritional disease, anthropometry, laboratory analyses of blood, urine or other tissues to estimate nutrient levels, and estimates of dietary intake. Mild or chronic undernutrition is often characterized by low but stable body weight and relatively normal biochemical measures of most nutrients, despite dietary intake below that recommended to meet theoretical nutritional requirements.
