The appetite of pregnant women is generally not a legend. And that’s good because the opposite could be worrying: a reduced calorie intake during pregnancy would accelerate the aging of the heart for the unborn baby.
Researchers from the University of Wyoming and the University of Texas Center for Science and Health in the United States studied the effects of a poor diet in the babies of female baboons. In particular, they observed their heart using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Consequences from the end of adolescence
The study, published in the Journal of Physiology, shows that a 30% lower food intake in these females causes premature aging of the hearts of babies who become adults. The deleterious effects on the heart pump are felt from the age of five, the equivalent of twenty human years. And the consequences are notable with a drop in quality of life and physical capacity in the first place. The reduction in heart capacity also makes you more vulnerable to other diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes.
This risk is added to those already known of poor development of organs, including the heart, and a greater likelihood of suffering from chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Developed countries also concerned
Even if these results were only obtained in animals, the authors warn about food poverty in developing countries but also in industrialized countries. Thus, the food aid association The Trussel Trust recently showed that one in five parents in the United Kingdom faces difficulties in feeding their family. For Dr. Peter Nathanielsz, Director of the University of Wyoming Health Center, “the health of women during pregnancy is fundamental to the health of their babies. Society must think about increasing their nutritional intake before and during this period.” Nevertheless, it should be remembered that excessive and/or unbalanced food intake during pregnancy promotes gestational diabetes and overweight in children. In summary, it’s all about moderation: pregnant women must take care to eat well to cover their needs and those of their child, but without letting themselves go too much…
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