Pregnant Women, Rejoice! Chocolates Good for Fetal Development: Study

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Chocolates have been found to be beneficial for babies in the womb so pregnant women may be able to indulge in the sweet treat once in a while. A study presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting in Atlanta states that eating chocolates can promote good circulatory health and fetal growth for infants.

Flavanols are commonly found in dark chocolate and have been known to have a number of health benefits including improved cognitive and vascular health as well as brain blood circulation.

Canadian researchers conducted the study to determine the effects of flavanols on pregnant women as it was previously believed that chocolate was shown to improve the risk of pre-eclampsia. In their findings, they found that it did decrease the risk of the condition as well as promote good placental circulation in addition to promotion of fetal development and good circulation in babies.

For the study, researchers invited 129 women who were between 11 and 14 weeks pregnant and divided them into two groups. They were given 30 grams of chocolate or an equivalent of one small bar per day with either low-flavanol or high-flavanol chocolate for 12 weeks. According to Medical Daily, the researchers took note of the women's placental weight, birth weight, pre-eclampsia, and gestational hypertension evaluation.

After the study period, they found that there was no significant change in the birthweight, gestational hypertension, placental weight or preeclampsia in the participants in both regards regardless of flavanol levels.

A statement on the presentation posted on Science Daily did note that there was improvement in the uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index to which they defined as "a surrogate marker of blood velocity in the uterine, placental and fetal circulations" in both groups.

"This study indicates that chocolate could have a positive impact on placenta and fetal growth and development and that chocolate's effects are not solely and directly due to flavanol content," said Dr. Emmanuel Bujold, one of the researchers of the study.

Chocolates during pregnancy should be taken reasonably as too much can do more harm than good, said Bujold as reported by WebMD. Another health expert agreed and advised to focus on other nutrients needed for the body and baby as well.

"Keep in mind the amount of chocolate was only 30 grams, or one ounce. That is just a few bites. Piling on the chocolate bars may pile on the pounds beyond what pregnant women would be advised to gain," said Lona Sandon of the University of Texas Southerwestern Medical Center. "Also, there are plenty of other nutrients that pregnant women would be better off focusing on for proper growth and development of the baby such as folate, calcium, protein and iron from quality food sources."