Preeclampsia, a dangerous type of high blood pressure during pregnancy, affects about 5% of pregnancies in the U.S. and is a leading cause of maternal morbidity. A recent study by researchers at the USC Keck School of Medicine found that a combination of solid fats, refined grains, and cheese was linked to higher rates of preeclampsia among low-income Latinas in Los Angeles. By contrast, women who ate vegetables, fruits, and meals made with healthy oils were less likely to develop the illness.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, yielded important information on which food combinations affect pregnant Latinas, said Luis Maldonado, the lead investigator and a postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at USC Keck. It suggests that dietary recommendations for pregnant Latinas should incorporate more foods from their culture, he said.
“A lot of studies that have been done among pregnant women in general have been predominantly white, and diet is very much tied to culture,” Maldonado said. “Your culture can facilitate how you eat because you know what your favorite food is.”
The researchers identified two significant patterns of eating: one in which the most consumed foods were vegetables, oils, fruits, whole grains, and yogurt; and a second in which the women’s diet consisted primarily of solid fats, refined grains, cheese, added sugar, and processed meat. Women who followed the first eating pattern had a lower rate of preeclampsia than those who followed the second.
When Maldonado and his team tested for a correlation between lower rates of preeclampsia and the Healthy Eating Index-2015, they found it was not statistically significant except for women who were overweight before pregnancy. The Healthy Eating Index includes combinations of nutrients and foods, like dairy and fatty acids.
A. Susana Ramírez, an associate professor of public health communication at the University of California-Merced, said that when it comes to diet, the right messaging and recommendations are vital to helping pregnant Latinas make informed decisions.
