A new study has suggested that women who feed on healthy diets before and after pregnancy have lower risks of getting babies with heart problems.

The study published in the "Archives of Diseases in Childhood Fetal & Neonatal Edition” followed 19,000 women in the US who were asked about their diet in the year leading up to pregnancy. Half of the women had babies with heart problems while the other half did not.

Researchers who compared the diets of two groups of women found out that a healthier maternal diet was associated with a lower chance of congenital heart defects.

Quality of proper feeding

King Faisal hospital nutritionist, Rene Tabaro explains that proper feeding before and during pregnancy is necessary because from this food, the body derives nutrients to support growth and development.

"Before and after pregnancy, women need to have sufficient supply of foods rich in proteins, iron and mineral salts such as calcium,” Tabaro says.

He points out that foods can be grouped in such a way that compensates for all the necessary nutrients.

"Foods such as fish, milk and eggs, can be used to serve the protein requirements while rice, posho, potatoes provide carbohydrates and fruits vegetable are taken to provide vitamin. Water as a universal solvent is important to ease digestion,” he adds.

On the microbial quality of foods, Tabaro maintains that foods supplied during pregnancy should be free of all possible forms of pathogens.

"Eating foods which are contaminated puts the baby and the mother at risk of contracting infections hence should be avoided,” Tabaro warns.

Burden of nutrition related birth defects

Health experts observe that congenital defects develop before birth and after pregnancy to occur in the heart’s chambers, valves or blood vessels. However a baby born with defects may have one or more heart defects which are either life threatening or non-life threatening.

Still from the study, pregnant women in the top quartile of diet quality had a lower risk of having a baby with certain heart defects such as atrial septal defects and Tetralogy of Fallot than those in the bottom quartile even after accounting for other factors such as whether the mother took folic acid or was a smoker.

This showed that diet during pregnancy is very important but also women trying to conceive are always advised to take certain supplements. For example folic acid is recommended to reduce the risk of other birth defects like Spina bifida whereas vitamin D is deemed necessary for healthy bones and teeth.

Where there is poor nutrition, more unborn babies await the jaws of congenital anomalies according to estimates from the World health Organisation. These figures show that 276 000 babies around the globe die within 4 weeks of birth every year from these defects.

Despite heart defects being very fetal, other congenital anomalies are highly associated with long-term disability and consequentially significant impacts on individuals, families, health care systems and societies.

As such WHO provides support for vaccination, adequate intake of folic acid or iodine through fortification of staple foods or provision of supplements, and adequate antenatal care are keys for prevention of congenital anomalies.

Other complications associated with poor diets during pregnancy

Dr Rachna Pande, a specialist of Internal Medicine at Ruhengeri Hospital, says that with a health diet, mothers stand less chances of suffering obesity and related problems like diabetes and heart diseases.

"A heath nutritious diet prevents nutritional deficiencies from folic acid, iron among others which would otherwise result into chronic anemia and deformities like spina bifida,” Pande explains.

Furthermore, Dr Pande says fetal under nutrition is directly related to maternal under nutrition and this alters the structural development of the cardiovascular system among other problems.

"The baby born is prone to develop hypertension and diabetes later in life,” she adds.

Experts therefore point out that food insecurity and muscle wasting in pregnant mothers particularly in mid to late gestation, affects mental development of the baby and also makes them prone to chronic diseases as adults although style factors like alcohol, stress could play a part.