The thermic effect of food in normal-weight and overweight pregnant women

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Abstract
A defective thermic response to food may be an energy-sparing adaptation in both obesity and pregnancy. To evaluate the combined effect of obesity and pregnancy on postprandial thermogenesis, the thermic effect of food was assessed for a 240 min period following a high-carbohydrate meal and a typical mixed meal in nine normal-weight non-pregnant, eight overweight non-pregnant, eight normal-weight pregnant and six overweight pregnant women using indirect calorimetry. A test meal that provided 60% of each subject's measured daily requirement for basal metabolism was used. Pregnant women were studied during weeks 30–35 of gestation. Neither obesity nor pregnancy altered the thermic effect of food, although the response to the mixed meal was greater (P P P P = 0·065). These results do not provide evidence of an impaired thermic response to food in either overweight or third trimester pregnant women.