Chocolate could be good for your pregnancy!

Chocoholic and pregnant?

A new study suggests that a mom-to-be’s chocolate habit could have a beneficial effect when it comes to pre-eclampsia. A Study carried out by Yale’s Center for Perinatal, Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology wanted to see if chocolate – particularly dark chocolate, which has been linked to improved heart health – might also offer moms-to-be protection against pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a disorder characterized by dangerously high blood pressure and protein in the urine – pregnant women who suffer from the condition complain of swelling, sudden weight gain, headaches and vision problems and it can seriously affect an unborn baby.

The study looked at self-reported chocolate consumption and also at levels of a byproduct of chocolate consumption, called theobromine, in the cord blood of pregnant women. Although the study didn’t distinguish between dark and milk chocolate, dark chocolate has higher levels of theobromine.

The study of 1,681 women showed that those who reported chocolate consumption of more than five servings a week had a lower risk of developing pre-eclampsia. Among the 1,346 women with cord blood data available, those with higher theobromine levels had significantly lower risk of developing pre-eclampsia than those who had low levels of theobromine. The results were particularly dramatic for women with the highest levels of theobromine – they were nearly 70% less likely to develop pre-eclampsia.

Researchers have speculated that the presence of antioxidants called flavonoids in dark chocolate may confer cardiovascular benefits – but study leader Elizabeth Triche cautions that the results don’t mean pregnant women can eat all the chocolate they want. Excess consumption of all candy can lead to weight gain and other health problems, she noted.

The study is reported in the May 2008 issue of Epidemiology.

 

Was this article helpful?