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Saturday, November 08, 2014

Prenatal Diet and Nutrition Affects Risk of Birth Defects

Pregnancy is a special time in a women’s life and requires special attention to diet and lifestyle. In fact, research shows that women who keep to a healthy, well-rounded diet during the nine months of pregnancy have a lower chance of delivering babies with birth defects.




A new study out of Stanford University, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that “better maternal diet quality was associated with reduced risk for selected birth defects.”

Reviewing data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, researchers found that pregnant women who ate along the lines of a Mediterranean diet or followed the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid (now called MyPlate), had a significantly lower chance of their baby being born with a neural tube defect or orafacial cleft.

The CDC reports that one in 33 babies is born with a birth defect and one out of every five born with one of those defects perishes as a result, making birth defects the leading cause of death among newborns.

Although genetic defects are possible when one or more of the parents have abnormalities in their genes, most of the children born with a defect do not have a family history of them and are essentially a surprise, but a lot of the common defects can be prevented if the mother takes precautions during pregnancy.

Dr. Peter Nathanielsz, director of the Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Research at the University of Texas' Health Science Center School of Medicine, has noted that early pregnancy is a “critical time window when many of the neurons as well as the supporting cells in the brain are born.”

In addition to birth defects, diet during pregnancy could alter a child's DNA, through a process called epigenetic change, which could lead to a child putting on extra weight later in life.

University of Southhampton researchers found that regardless of the normal weight of the mother, her diet—particularly in the first trimester—can effect genetic changes that will make her offspring more likely to gain an excess of fatty tissue.

Diet is not the only important factor, as several key nutrients also can contribute to birth defects, and require supplementation.

Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, an assistant professor medicine at Boston University Medical Center, says, “Iodine nutrition is critically important in pregnancy.

Women who are deficient in pregnancy have children often with lower IQs or neurocognitive delays. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation in the world.”

Also of importance is folic acid, which reduces the risk of neural tube defects, iron, and calcium—good for your bones and that of the developing fetus.

To help ensure a successful pregnancy and healthy baby, doctors and midwives typically recommend that women take a daily prenatal vitamin, beginning as early as possible in the pregnancy.

HealthNews expert Constance Rock prefers food-based prenatal vitamins, taken as early as preconception (for those who are actively planning or trying to have a baby).

Food-based prenatal vitamins contain folic acid and the nutrients that are in a form bioavailable to the cells in your body.  

The absorption is high compared to a synthetic vitamin and you will most likely not get digestive upset or nausea from it. (Something to think about as the six-week mark nears, the time in which most women get morning sickness.)



For optimal outcomes for both mother and baby, it is best to be in good physical health prior to pregnancy, and to monitor weight gain, food intake, exercise, and dietary supplements. 

Your obstetrician or midwife should be able to provide you with the necessary guidelines for a healthy pregnancy.

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