Mediterranean diet lowers risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes

The closer women can stick to a Mediterranean diet around the time of conception and pregnancy, the better the pregnancy outcomes. While the Mediterranean diet is known to reduces risks around metabolic diseases and cardiovascular disease, there has been little study on possible effects on adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), according to a study in JAMA Network Open. The Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b) was a prospective, multicenter, cohort study which enrolled women between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2013. Final analyses were based on 7,798 ethnically and geographically diverse women who had singleton pregnancies and full diet information was available. The researchers evaluated the association of an Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMed) score with the odds of developing any APO. The aMed is a diet characteristic of the Mediterranean pattern but adapted for the U.S. population. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, and medical data were collected at the first study visit. Food frequency questionnaires were administered. Participants were asked about their consumption of about 120 food and beverage items, and this information was used to assess intakes of 52 nutrients and 35 food groups. The mean age of the women was 27.4 years with 754 (9.7%) aged 35 years or older. The primary outcome sought was the development of any APO. The prevalence of high, moderate, and low reporting of a Mediterranean diet pattern around the time of conception was 30.6% (2,388), 31.2% (2,430), and 38.2% (2,980), respectively, the study said. It was found that “Greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern around the time of conception was associated with lower odds of developing any APO, particularly preeclampsia or eclampsia and gestational diabetes. We detected a dose-response association,” said the study authors. Women in the highest quintile of the aMed score had an overall 20% lower odds of having any APO compared to those in the lowest quintile. They had a lower prevalence of preeclampsia and small-for- gestational-age infant. Plus, “higher intakes of vegetables and lower intakes of red and processed meat were associated with lower odds of developing gestational diabetes,” researchers wrote. Read: Vitamin C supplements during pregnancy in smokers may reduce lung damage in offspring

Mediterranean diet lowers risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes

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