Good news for all you expectant mothers out there: eating 30 g of chocolate every day during pregnancy may benefit fetal growth and development. This is the conclusion of a new study recently presented at the 2016 Pregnancy Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Atlanta, GA. [A pregnant woman eating chocolate]
Eating 30 g of chocolate daily during pregnancy was linked to benefits for fetal growth and development in the new study.
The study results are likely to be warmly welcomed by moms-to-be, given the lengthy list of foods women are told to avoid during pregnancy.
While chocolate itself is - thankfully - absent from this no-go list, expectant mothers are recommended against overindulging in the tasty treat due to its fat, sugar and caffeine content.
There are many benefits that may come with moderate chocolate consumption, however. Chocolate contains flavanols - a type of flavonoid - that have been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular problems and lower cholesterol; the darker the chocolate, the more flavanols it contains.
Previous studies have also suggested that moderate chocolate consumption during pregnancy may lower the risk of preeclampsia - where the blood supply to the fetus is reduced due to the mother's high blood pressure.
However, Dr. Emmanuel Bujold, of the Université Laval Québec City, Canada, notes that the results of research assessing the link between chocolate intake during pregnancy and preeclampsia have been conflicting, spurring him and his colleagues to find out more.
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