PROTEIN DEFICIENCIES IN PREGNANCY

The term protein deficiency, the definition of which is obvious, is to be preferred to the more commonly used term hypoproteinemia for at least two reasons. In the first place the term hypoproteinemia makes no provision for the degrees of protein depletion, which are of importance even when they are not sufficiently pronounced to lower the circulating proteins to the level of hypoproteinemia. In the second place hypoproteinemia, from the standpoint of etymology, concerns only the circulating protein of the blood, which is now believed to be less important in the body economy than the protein depots in the tissues, and the reparation of which is fully as important as the reparation of the circulating protein.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommends a daily allowance of at least 85 Gm. of protein during the latter half of pregnancy and regards two thirds of the optimum