Heart problems - Diet can do the work of drugs

During pregnancy, serum lipids can alter dramatically and lead to atherogenesis, or ‘furring’ of the arteries, and the risks increase even further with the standard American or British diet.

But a diet that included more of the good fats, fish, pulses, fruit and vegetables was enough to reduce the women’s serum lipid profiles in late pregnancy. The diet had no adverse effects on the baby’s birth weight, with the added benefit that the diet reduced the risk of preterm delivery (Am J Obstet Gynecol, 2005; 193: 1292-301).

(But see page 18 for a new look at saturated fats.)

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