Canadian Pharmacies Back Healthy Diet Concept to Avoid Birth Defects

A nutritious diet is vital in preserving long-term health, and recent research confirms pregnant women on a good diet can avoid having babies with birth defects. Canadian pharmacies back the concept of having a healthy and nutritious diet to avoid spine and brain ailments in newborn babies. Some are born with cleft palates or lips. Several food nutrients are vital to sustain good health in women leading up to pregnancy.

Required Vital Elements in Food

The United States Department of Agriculture has prepared a nutrition guide commonly known as MyPlate highlighting optimum intake of foods including carbohydrates, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, beans, and meat. A balanced diet comprises of foods from all the listed groups in the right proportion.

Pregnancy requires women to pay more attention to lifestyle and diet. Foods rich in fruits, beans, fish, and grains should be included in the menu. Women finding it difficult to sustain the required diet often buy Folic Acid supplements from Canadian pharmacies to complete the required nutrition chart to be followed before and during pregnancy. Avoiding meat, dairy products, and sweets help women gain just the right amount of weight.

Recent Study Reveals Pregnant Women Must Be Cautious

Findings of a study conducted by Stanford University were recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. It clearly indicated pregnant women on either a Mediterranean or MyPlate diet significantly lowered the risk of their babies being born with orofacial clefts or neutral tube defects.

It was already established in the 1990s that women need folic acid in sufficient quantity to prevent brain and spinal birth defects. Researchers collected information from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study conducted on 3,400 women with babies born with cleft lips, cleft palates, or neutral tube defects. The other group consisted of 6,100 women who gave birth to normal children. Phone interviews were conducted with women from both groups two years after their children were born.

Information such as the type of foods consumed by the mothers were recorded, both good and unhealthy foods consumed during the period leading to pregnancy. A comparison was made with the Mediterranean and MyPlate diet. Various other parameters were considered including lifestyle habits like smoking and drinking, intake of vitamin supplements, and weight.

Results indicated women who consistently followed a healthy diet did not have babies with birth defects. A strict diet adhering to MyPlate did not lead to anencephaly, a bird defect affecting the brain and skull. In fact, studies revealed 34% children would be born without cleft lips and 26% without cleft palates.

The right balance has to be established between a good nutritious diet and prenatal supplements. The World Health Organization has already provided evidence that prenatal supplement containing folic acid is a vital element in a pregnant woman's diet. It is possible foods found in some places around the world may not contain sufficient quantities of folic acid. Food items may not comply with guidelines suggested by MyPlate or a Mediterranean diet. Canadian pharmacies suggest Materna Pre-Natal Vitamins or Folic Acid can be easily bought online to make up for insufficient nutrition in daily diet.