(29-11-08) New Study Shows Pregnant Women Benefit from Mediterranean Diet

by David Gutierrez

Children whose mothers eat a Mediterranean diet while pregnant are less likely to develop asthma or allergies later in life, according to a new study conducted by Greek researchers from the University of Crete and published in the journal Thorax.

The so-called Mediterranean diet, the label for the traditional eating patterns of certain Mediterranean cultures, is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish. Red meat is consumed infrequently, non-red meat slightly more frequently, and dairy products and eggs are eaten at low to moderate levels.

Prior research has suggested that children who eat a Mediterranean diet are less likely to develop asthma or allergies of the skin and upper respiratory system. In the current study, researchers followed 416 mother-child pairs to see if the same protection could be conferred to children by their mother's diet during pregnancy.

The mothers were ranked for their adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The majority of them scored high, while approximately 36 percent scored low.

"Children from the 'low score' group were at higher risk to develop asthma and allergies than counterparts from the 'high score' group," said lead researcher Leda Chatzi.

Crete is known for having low rates of asthma and hay fever, a pattern that has been attributed to the prevalence of the Mediterranean diet there.

When mothers consumed eight or more servings of vegetables or three or more servings of finish each week while pregnant, their children were significantly less likely to develop persistent wheezing.

In another recent study, scientists found that asthmatic adults may be able to reduce their risk of attacks of sticking to Mediterranean diet. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Puerto, Portugal, and published in the journal Allergy, found that asthma attacks were 78 percent less likely among those who ate the Mediterranean Diet than among those who did not.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; www.dailymail.com.
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