pregnancy diet – Your Pregnancy Diet – Can it Reduce High Blood Pressure Risk? by Jonni Good

During pregnancy, a nutritious diet may reduce the risk of preeclampsia, which is the early stage of pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure). This condition causes concern for your physician because it can lead to eclampsia, the full-blown form of severe high blood pressure during pregnancy.

In some women, severe high blood pressure may develop after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Additional problems that may occur at the same time are proteinuria (protein lost through the kidneys), and edema, or swelling from water retention in the hands and feet. In the worst cases, eclampsia can cause fetal damage, or expecting mothers may experience convulsions and coma. Fortunately, this condition is rare, with preeclampsia and eclampsia affecting only 7 to 8% of pregnant women. Younger women, women experiencing their first pregnancy, and obese women are most at risk.

Researchers have been trying to find a diet that will reduce the risk of high blood pressure for pregnant women, but studies are still inconclusive. It has been suggested that a higher protein intake for the expecting mother may help, but this has not been proven. Also, a lower salt intake, which is effective among the general population for reducing hypertension, has not been shown to reduce the risk of eclampsia for pregnant women.

Fortunately, calcium and antioxidant supplements during pregnancy do show some promise in preventing these conditions among women at risk.

Calcium

One study included 48 women with a family history of preeclampsia who were experiencing their first pregnancies. Some of the women in the study received supplements containing 600 mg of calcium and 450 mg of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) during the 18th through 22nd weeks of pregnancy, and others received a placebo. The women who received the calcium and CLA supplements had a significant reduction in hypertension, and it is believed that these supplements may reduce the risk of pre- and full-blown eclampsia.

Antioxidants

Pregnancy is known to increase the need for antioxidants. When women lack antioxidants in their diet (vitamins C and E, zinc and selenium), the deficiency may worsen hypertension. Some women have low levels of these antioxidants due to poor eating habits, which is common among younger women and teens. Supplements of antioxidants may significantly reduce the risk of eclampsia, with vitamins C and E being considered the most important.

At this time it there is no fool-proof preventative measure to reduce the risk of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, so good prenatal care is vital. Your doctor will monitor your blood pressure and do blood and urine tests. Be sure to ask your doctor which supplements she recommends for you. She may also recommend a good dietitian to make sure you eat right and maintain the most nutritious diet during your pregnancy.

About The Author

Jonni Good is the publisher of 1 Teen Pregnancy.com where she provides more information on pregnancy nutrition, the early symptoms of pregnancy, and common pregnancy questions from teens. Visit her website at http://www.1teenpregnancy.com

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Pregnancy diet?

How does a pregnancy diet differ from a regular diet?

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For Obese, Weight Gained in Pregnancy May Not Leave – Yahoo! News

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) — Obese women who gain more
than 15 pounds during pregnancy tend to retain much of it long after
delivery, a new U.S. study finds.

Oregon researchers collected data on almost 1,700 obese women (their
body mass index was 30 or higher) who gave birth between 2000 and
2005.

“We found that 70 percent of the women were exceeding the recommended
weight gain for women in their weight category,” said researcher Victor J.
Stevens, a senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health
Research. What's more, “these women had a lot of difficulty losing that
weight, and on average retained 40 percent of it [a year later],” he
said.

“That's a concern as they are already heavy enough to have health
problems related to their weight, and retaining significant weight gain
after pregnancy just makes it worse,” Stevens said.

For an obese woman, gaining too much weight during pregnancy also
increases the risk of complications, such as diabetes, hypertension,
preeclampsia, bigger babies, C-sections and birthing injuries.

The research was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and appears in the November issue of Obstetrics &
Gynecology.

In the study, Stevens' team noted the women's starting weight (between
six months before conception and 12 weeks after conception), delivery
weight and their later weight at eight and 18 months after giving
birth.

The researchers defined excess weight gain as more than 15 pounds.

Women who gained 15 to 25 pounds were twice as likely to retain 10
pounds of that weight over the next year and a half, compared to women who
had less weight gain. Those who packed on more than 35 pounds were almost
eight-times more likely to retain 10 pounds of that extra bulk, the team
found.

Younger women and first-time mothers were most likely to put on too
much weight, the researchers note.

“We would like to see better services for women to help them manage
their weight gain during pregnancy,” Stevens said.

Other experts agreed.

Samantha Heller, a registered dietitian, clinical nutritionist and
exercise physiologist in Fairfield, Conn., said for anyone who is already
overweight or obese when she gets pregnant, “it is going to be even more
difficult to lose the post-pregnancy weight.”

But moms-to-be should not diet during pregnancy, she said. “We don't
want a study like this to scare people into doing that. What we want
people to do is eat carefully and healthfully when they are pregnant, but
not overeat.”

Nor should new mothers try to lose the extra weight during the first
few months after delivery, Heller said.

“The women are exhausted, their body is still going through huge
changes,” she said. “If they are breast-feeding, we don't want them
restricting calories at a high level, because they need those extra
calories to produce breast milk.”

Because it is so difficult for many women to control weight gain during
and after pregnancy, Heller believes they need more support and
education.

To control weight gain during pregnancy, Kaiser Permanente offers these
tips:

Watch your diet. Each day have 8 to 12 servings of fruits and
vegetables, 3 servings of low-fat dairy, 5 to 9 ounces of protein-rich
foods, 6 to 10 servings of whole grains and 3 to 7 teaspoons of fats, such
as olive oil and nuts.

Eat regular meals and small healthy snacks between meals.

Cut fat to less than 30 percent of your calories.

Cut back on sweets and sugary drinks.

Keep a food diary to check for nutritional adequacy and portion
management.

Have only 100 to 300 calories a day more than you had before you
became pregnant.

Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. If you don't exercise, ask your
doctor how to start an exercise program.

More information

For more information on obesity, visit the U.S.
National Library of Medicine.

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