Healthy Diet During Pregnancy May Lower Risk of Preemies

Having a healthy diet during pregnancy could lower the risk of preterm birth by 15 percent, according a new study.

Researchers from University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health had mothers fill out questionnaires about what they ate and drank since during pregnancy.

Researchers said they also had data about the women's general lifestyle like level of education, living conditions, income, weight, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, physical activity, number of children, and medical history.

The findings revealed that women with the healthiest pregnancy diet were 15 percent less likely to have preterm delivery compared to those with the least healthy diet.

Researchers said the link held true after accounting for other factors for preterm delivery, which was defined as spontaneous or induced delivery before the end of gestational week 37.

"Pregnant women have many reasons to choose a healthy diet with lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grain products and some types of fish, but this is the first time we can statistically link healthy eating habits to reduced risk of preterm delivery," researcher Linda Englund-Ögge, of the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, said in a news release.

Researchers said the latest findings are important because preterm delivery has been shown to increase the risk of acute and long-term complications.

Researchers noted the latest findings does not mean pregnant women should be banned from junk food.  

"It is not harmful to occasionally eat something unhealthy. But our study shows that the dietary recommendations given to pregnant women are important," said Englund-Ögge.

"Dietary studies can be very complex. Any given food item may contain a wide range of substances and is usually consumed together with other foods. This makes it difficult to find out its exact effects of one single food. We show that there is a statistically established link between a healthy diet and reduced risk of preterm delivery, but our study wasn't designed to identify any underlying mechanisms," she added.

Researchers hope the latest findings will help encourage healthcare professionals to encourage healthy eating habits among pregnant women.

The findings are published in the British Medical Journal.