The right diet to avoid preterm births, more common than you think (1 in 10)

It is known as a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy and balanced diet, can improve fertility in both men and women. A review of the scientific literature, recently appeared on Biologyanalyzed the impact of different dietary patterns on fertility.

I study

«We have observed how a diet rich in saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, animal proteins and high glycemic index carbohydrates is related to male and female infertility. The examination of the molecular mechanisms with which different diets influence fertility could lead to more personalized treatments in infertile couples”, summarizes Nicoletta Di Simone, coordinator of the investigation, full professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Humanitas University and head of the Multidisciplinary Center for Pregnancy Pathology Humanitas Saint Pius.

But there’s more. «Also in line with other studies», continues the expert, «the association between maternal nutritional status and the risk of preterm birth (the obstetric condition in which birth occurs before the 37th gestational week).

In Italy every year there are over 30 thousand premature babies and the incidence does not seem to have changed significantly in recent years. A diet that abounds in fruit, vegetables, fish and wholemeal flour can reduce the risk of premature birth; on the contrary, one characterized by processed meats and foods rich in saturated fats or sugars can increase the probability. For this reason, a nutritional approach can be part of a primary prevention strategy with the aim of reducing the number of children born preterm.” In 2020, in an Italian study on 112 patients with physiological pregnancy, a higher incidence of premature birth was observed in patients with the lowest nutritional score, calculated based on the recommendations of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Directions

«By analyzing the data, important indications emerged to follow: consume at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, fish, whole wheat at least twice a week, use olive or seed oil, limit the consumption of red meat to less than 2 times a week, avoid processed meats and fried foods, drink no more than 2 cups of coffee a day. A study conducted on Danish women has shown that by following these dietary rules it is possible to lower the risk of having a premature birth by up to 72 percent”, concludes Di Simone.