Wholegrain bread protects pregnant women against re-eclampsia

A newspaper reported a study that suggests eating slices of brown bread a day protects women against pre-eclampsia in pregnancy.

More than 1,500 women were given food frequency questionnaires at around 13.1 weeks of pregnancy to assess their diet before conception and during the first trimester. The researchers found that women with the highest fibre intake had about 70% reduction of pre-eclampsia risk compared with those in the lowest intake. They also found that women with the highest fibre intake had the lowest levels of blood triglycerides (excess fat) and higher levels of good cholesterol. They said more studies are needed to confirm the health benefits associated with increased fibre consumption before and during early pregnancy.

Source: "Dietary Fiber Intake in Early Pregnancy and Risk of Subsequent Preeclampsia." American Journal of Hypertension 2008; Jul 17 [Epub ahead of print] (Free full text)