Healthy habits during pregnancy not enough

Changing diet and lifestyle during pregnancy is too little and too late to reduce the risk of major complications, according to a University of Queensland researcher. UQ School of Public Health researcher Professor Gita Mishra has called for action at a national level to improve the health of Australian women, to reduce risks in planned and unplanned pregnancies and improve the future health of women and their children. Professor Mishra led the Australian contribution to an overview of international research on preconception health, published in the Lancet. "The evidence overwhelmingly showed healthier pregnancies when women were able to make positive lifestyle changes before conception, such as eating well, being more active or quitting smoking," Professor Mishra said. "Women with a lower body mass index before conception lowered their risks of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, pre-term birth and stillbirth. "Higher levels of physical activity before conception resulted in lowered risk of gestational diabetes. "Also, we know from our own research that women who have a diet high in fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts before conception have lower rates of gestational diabetes." The Lancet series brought together the latest research on health interventions before and during pregnancy, with new data from women's health studies in the United Kingdom and Australia.