A recent Nature Food journal study utilized data from a racially and ethnically diverse cohort in the United States to determine whether adherence to healthy dietary patterns increases the risk of exposure to potentially harmful environmental contaminants during pregnancy. Study: Healthy dietary patterns are associated with exposure to environmental chemicals in a pregnancy cohort . Image Credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.
com Healthy dietary patterns including the alternate Healthy Eating Index (aHEI), alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED), and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) are endorsed in current dietary guidelines. These patterns have been associated with lower risks of cardiometabolic diseases and pregnancy complications. However, major food components of aHEI, aMED, and DASH are also sources of environmental contaminants such as heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
These chemicals can be harmful to fetuses and pregnant women who are sensitive to environmental stimuli. Thus, it is crucial to determine the chemical content of widely recommended healthy dietary patterns to identify which diets increase the risk of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. These findings can also improve current recommendations to promote a healthy diet while also minimizing exposure to toxic chemicals.
The study cohort comprised 1,618 ethnically and racially diverse pregnant women with an average maternal age of.