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Birth Defects – 27 January 2008

Food choices that expectant mothers make can have repercussions beyond their own bodies. This article is about the effect that a woman’s diet can have on her child:

Western Diet Linked to Birth Defects

A new study from the Netherlands that analyzed the diets of 381 mothers found that a Western diet may be linked to birth defects. Those women with a “Western dietary pattern,” characterized by high intakes of organ meat, red meat, processed meat, pizza, legumes, potatoes, French fries, condiments, and mayonnaise, but low intakes of fruits had a higher risk of a cleft lip or cleft palate among their offspring. Women who consumed the greatest amount of these foods had nearly double the risk compared with those who consumed the least.

Vujkovic M, Ocke MC, Van der Spek P, Yazdanpanah N, et al. Maternal Western dietary patterns and the risk of developing a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate. Obstet Gynecol. 2007; 110:378-384.

~ Reprinted from Good Medicine, Winter 2008, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

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