HHS HealthBeat (February 14, 2012)

Future mommies, cut the fat

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

Pregnant women…watch your diet. What you eat can affect both you and your newborn. Gestational diabetes is a common pregnancy complication that can affect both you and your baby. Data from 13,000 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study II show high fat intake can put you at risk.

Dr. Katherine Bowers is a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health.

“Women who had high intakes of animal fat, so the source of their fat came from animal products, more frequently developed gestational diabetes during their pregnancies.” (10 seconds)

Women with higher dietary cholesterol also had an increased risk. A healthy diet can help you reduce your risk.

The study was in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.

Last revised: February 14, 2012