Poor diet before pregnancy could lead to preterm birth

Washington, May 25: A new study has revealed that there is a 50 % chance that women might have preterm birth if they don't eat healthy before pregnancy. This the first study of its kind that focuses on assessing women's diet prior to conception and its involvement with the outcomes at birth.

The results stated that women who ate protein rich foods including lean meats, fish, chicken, fruit, whole grains and vegetables, had considerably lower risk of preterm birth than compared to women who mainly consumed discretionary foods, such as takeaway, potato chips, or foods high in saturated fat and sugar.

Dr Jessica Grieger, Posdoctoral Research Fellow with the Robinson Research Institute said that preterm birth occurs in approximately one in 10 pregnancies globally and it is a leading cause of infant disease and death so it is important to understand and improve the conditions. She further suggested that diet is an important risk factor that can be modified so it is important to consume a healthy diet before as well as during the pregnancy for best results.

The study is published in The Journal of Nutrition.