The benefits of the Mediterranean diet have been known for some time and nutritionists from all over the world recommend it to improve well-being and longevity. A recent US study has now investigated the link between this diet and pregnancy, highlighting multiple benefits and the reduction of various complications that pregnant women may suffer from. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s, the new research collaborated on a large group of scholars associated with medical schools and hospitals in various cities and areas of the United States.
Adverse pregnancy outcomes
Many people, including pregnant women, eat unhealthy diets that are too high in fat, sugar, and processed foods. The researchers analyzed the influence of diet on a primary objective which is the reduction of adverse pregnancy outcomes (so-called Apo). The latter are the main factors associated with maternal morbidity and mortality. Scholars have therefore emphasized the importance of prevention to preserve and extend healthy life among women. Such adverse outcomes are also associated with an increased risk of subsequent development of metabolic disease, as well as cardiovascular disease.
Prevention
Until now, however, few studies had analyzed the dietary approach in relation to adverse pregnancy outcomes, which include “gestational hypertension, preeclampsia or eclampsia, gestational diabetes”, as well as premature birth and stillbirth. Investigating the relationship was considered essential to prevent these complications in order to protect women both during pregnancy and in their postpartum life. Compared to the Mediterranean diet, the researchers define it as “characterized by a high intake of plant-based foods, such as vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, and monounsaturated fats, along with a low intake of saturated fats and processed meats.” The one used as a model of the study is actually the Alternative Mediterranean Diet (aMed), which includes foods characteristic of the Mediterranean model but adapted for the population of the United States.
Different women
The data was collected in a larger study of expectant mothers known as Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Bein which over 10,000 participants followed between 2010 and 2013 were involved. Among these, almost 7,800 women (the so-called study cohort), with different racial, ethnic and geographic profiles, completed the verification through self-completed questionnaires. The median age was about 27, with 9.7% being over the age of 35. To assess the cohort’s exposure to the Mediterranean diet, the researchers evaluated a score based on the relative intake of nine components: vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, monounsaturated fat ratio and saturated, as well as processed meats (such as deli meats and sausages) and alcohol. Scores ranged from 0 to 9, with the latter being the best score, coinciding with an ideal diet.
Transversal benefits
The researchers found that the mean diet score was 4.3, indicating that there were no significant differences related to race, ethnicity or previous obesity status. This suggests that the benefits associated with this dietary pattern “are identical for women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, with and without obesity.” On the other hand, the registry office had the greatest influence, given that the best answers came from older women. According to the researchers, the group with the highest scores were 21 percent less likely to suffer from pregnancy complications for themselves or their offspring. Specifically, they found that those in the best-scoring group were 35 percent less likely to have preeclampsia or eclampsia than the lowest-scoring group. But above all there was 54% less probability of gestational diabetes, i.e. the increase in blood sugar levels that is observed for the first time in pregnancy, in the majority of cases in the second trimester. “Our results add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that the Mediterranean diet model can play an important role in maintaining women’s health throughout their lives, including during pregnancy,” reads the conclusions of the study.