According to the recent study published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood (Fetal and Neonatal Edition), in order to give birth to healthy babies, pregnant women are suggested to eat between 200 to 300 calories from nutrient-dense sources of food such as low-fat dairy, fruit, vegetables and whole grain products.
The research team studied the link between the diet of expecting mothers and congenital heart ailments.
The team of researchers used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study that was participated by almost 19,000 women. The subjects are given a questionnaire that asks about the quality and quantity of their diet before and during pregnancy.
"The more you went up in diet quality, the less the risk for severe congenital heart anomalies," said lead author Dr. Lorenzo Botto, a professor of pediatrics and a medical geneticist at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
In order to verify the quality of the diets, the researchers used two scoring systems, namely the Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy (DQI-P), and The Mediterranean Diet Score.
The Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy was used to provide positive scores for grains, vegetables, fruits, folate, iron and calcium, and negative scores for calories from fats or sweets.
The Mediterranean Diet Score, supposedly lessening rates for chronic heart disease, emphasizes on legumes, grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables and fish, and discourages dairy, meat and sweets.
The study shows that women who scored the top 25 percent of DQI-P had a lower risk of giving birth to babies with congenital heart disease, as compared to those who are at bottom 25.
The recent study doesn't prove the cause-effect relationship of pregnant women's diet and congenital heart disease. It merely shows a positive link that associates the diet pregnant mothers have and the health of their baby.
"We know that having a healthy woman tends to lead to a healthy baby," Botto said.
