Iron supplement, Oxidative Stress & Pregnancy: a critical balance

Anaemia during pregnancy is widely recognized haematological abnormality. Deficiencies of micronutrients viz. iron, folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin B12 tend to co-exist in anaemic pregnancy. According to National guidelines for iron supplementation during pregnancy, daily iron folic acid (IFA) supplementation is recommended; however, the effectiveness of weekly iron supplementation need to be evaluated as evident that iron excess and deficiency, both results in free radical generation contributing to oxidative stress. This book, therefore, provides an insight on the effectiveness of daily and weekly IFA supplementation in anaemic and healthy pregnancy by investigating the haematological, biochemical, nutritional, clinical, pathological and molecular markers in a longitudinal manner. This book summarize dietary intake pattern, micronutrient profile and mechanism of placental iron transfer from mother to foetus in Indian anaemic/ healthy pregnant women during pregnancy and postpartum period. Thus, this study has important public health implications and it should be useful for health professionals and policy-makers to develop comprehensive nutrition policy for this target population