Preventing A Pregnancy Problem

Up to 10 percent of women develop a problem called gestational diabetes while they’re pregnant. This means they have high blood sugar during the pregnancy, even though they’ve never had diabetes. Women whose diets were higher in animal fat had a higher risk of this problem.

Those who ate the most animal fat were 88 percent more likely to develop it. More cholesterol in the diet was also linked to a higher risk of gestational diabetes. Women who make changes to their diet now could help protect themselves from this problem during a pregnancy down the road.

Shifting just 5 percent of your calories from animal fat to plant foods may lower your risk by 7 percent. If you’re planning to get pregnant, it’s a good idea to visit your doctor to discuss other things you can do now to lower your risk of gestational diabetes and other problems during pregnancy.