Study: A Pregnant Woman’s Diet Affects Baby’s Heart Health

Congenital heart defects are one of the most common health issues with newborns, but luckily, there’s a straightforward way for expecting mothers to lower the risks: Eat healthy before and during pregnancy.

A study published Archives of Diseases in Childhood Fetal & Neonatal Edition researched the eating habits of over 19,000 women and found that those who ate diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and proteins like fish and nuts during the year leading up to pregnancy (and then continued to eat well when pregnant) lowered the heart health risks for their children.

However, healthy food is not always an option for families, especially those who are low-income. Over 23.5 million Americans live in food deserts, where fresh, affordable food is far away. Obviously, the lack of healthy meals is greatly affecting the next generation, and more needs to be done to come up with a better solution.

Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.

By Lily Herman on August 31, 2015
Lily is the Managing Editor at HelloFlo, where she oversees all editorial and social media operations for the brand. In addition to her work at HF, she's co-founder and CEO of The Prospect, the largest student-run college access organization in the world. Her work has been featured on TIME, Forbes, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Mashable, USA TODAY and Lifehacker. You can perpetually find her on Twitter.