In a new study evaluating the Mediterranean diet and adverse pregnancy outcomes, researchers from the Smidt Institute (Heart Health) found that women who became pregnant while following the Mediterranean diet had a significantly lower risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy.
The study (10,038 women participated) also assessed the association between the Mediterranean diet and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age birth, and stillbirth, it writes sciencedaily.com. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
”This study validates that a healthier diet is associated with a lower risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, most interestingly a 28% lower risk of preeclampsia“said Natalie Bello, lead author of the study, who claims that such a diet has the same good results regardless of the geographic area in which the woman is located, regardless of race and ethnicity, and that the association was stronger in women who are commonly considered to be of advanced maternal age, those 35 years or older.
Preeclampsia is a serious blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy and puts stress on the mother’s heart. If left untreated, the condition can cause serious complications, such as kidney and liver dysfunction, as well as decreased blood supply to the fetus.
We recall that, Mediterranean diet put a lot of emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, fish, legumes, seeds, nuts, herbs and less on meat (very little to no red meat) and dairy (plain yogurts and light cheeses are preferred) .
Sample Mediterranean diet menu for one day:
Breakfast: Oat porridge with a teaspoon of flax seeds, on top of which you put a few slices of banana or raspberry
The lunch: lentil soup and a salad of greens or raw vegetables
Dinner: baked fish with a bowl of green salad sprinkled with lemon, a slice of focaccia.
STARTERS: a fruit/ a Greek yogurt 2% fat/ a handful of walnut kernels.
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