{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T14:31:07Z","timestamp":1790346667514,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,9]],"date-time":"2022-05-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1652054400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan","award":["JP19K1865709"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JP19K1865709"]}]},{"name":"Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan","award":["JPMJPF2108"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JPMJPF2108"]}]},{"name":"Japan Science and Technology Agency","award":["JP19K1865709"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JP19K1865709"]}]},{"name":"Japan Science and Technology Agency","award":["JPMJPF2108"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JPMJPF2108"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Among the physiological changes occurring during pregnancy, the benefits of morning sickness, which is likely mediated by human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and induces serum ketone production, are unclear. We investigated the relationship between serum levels of ketone bodies and HCG in the first, second, and third trimesters and neonatal body shape (i.e., birth weight, length, head circumference, and chest circumference) in 245 pregnant women. Serum levels of 3-hydroxybutyric acid peaked in late-stage compared with early stage pregnancy (27.8 [5.0\u2013821] vs. 42.2 [5.0\u20131420] \u03bcmol\/L, median [range], p &lt; 0.001). However, serum levels of ketone bodies and HCG did not correlate with neonatal body shape. When weight loss during pregnancy was used as an index of morning sickness, a higher pre-pregnancy body mass index was associated with greater weight loss. This study is the first to show that serum ketone body levels are maximal in the third trimester of pregnancy. As the elevation of serum ketone bodies in the third trimester is a physiological change, high serum levels of ketone bodies may be beneficial for mothers and children. One of the possible biological benefits of morning sickness is the prevention of diseases that have an increased incidence due to weight gain during pregnancy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14091971","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,10]],"date-time":"2022-05-10T00:30:28Z","timestamp":1652142628000},"page":"1971","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Changes in Serum Levels of Ketone Bodies and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin during Pregnancy in Relation to the Neonatal Body Shape: A Retrospective Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Kiwamu","family":"Noshiro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9236-9945","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Takeshi","family":"Umazume","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rifumi","family":"Hattori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obihiro-Kosei General Hospital, Obihiro 080-0024, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Soromon","family":"Kataoka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hakodate Central General Hospital, Hakodate 040-8585, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takashi","family":"Yamada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Japan Community Health Care Organization Hokkaido Hospital, Sapporo 062-8618, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hidemichi","family":"Watari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"121","article-title":"Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy","volume":"68","author":"Quinla","year":"2003","journal-title":"Am. 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