A new analysis of research indicates that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, seafood, dairy, eggs and grains before conception and in early pregnancy may be associated with a lower risk of miscarriage.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham, funded by the Tommy's Foundation, looked at 20 studies that looked at women's eating habits in the months before and shortly after conception to see if those studies showed evidence of a higher or lower risk of miscarriage.
In an article published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, a team from the Tommy's-funded National Miscarriage Research Center says there is evidence to suggest that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, seafood, dairy products, eggs and grain products reduces the risk of miscarriage.
These are foods that typically make up a "healthy" balanced diet, and previous evidence shows that eating a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals during pregnancy is important.
A review of studies found that compared to low intake, high fruit intake may be associated with a 61% reduction in the risk of miscarriage. High vegetable intake may be associated with a 41% reduction in the risk of miscarriage. For dairy products it is a 37% reduction, for cereals 33%, for seafood and eggs 19%.
Under the leadership of Dr. Yealin Chung, researchers also looked at whether predefined types of diets, such as the Mediterranean diet or the fertility diet, could also be linked to the risk of miscarriage. They found no evidence that either diet lowered or increased risk.
However, an overall diet that includes generally healthy foods or foods rich in antioxidant sources and low in pro-inflammatory foods or groups of unhealthy foods may be associated with a reduction in the risk of miscarriage in women.
A diet high in processed foods has been shown to double the risk of miscarriage.
The studies included in the analysis focused on the peri-conception period - the period before conception and during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Data collected from 63,838 healthy women of childbearing age included information on their diet, which was typically collected using food frequency questionnaires for each study.
Dr. Chung explains:
"Miscarriage is common, it is estimated that 1 in 6 pregnancies end in miscarriage, and there are many known causes, from problems with the baby's chromosomes to infections in the uterus.
'Still, nearly 50% of early miscarriages remain unexplained, and in the absence of a cause, parents often turn to their healthcare providers for guidance on how to be as healthy as possible and minimize the risk of future miscarriages.
