You may have seen recent reports about a research study that found eating “ultra-processed foods” raised the risk of #preeclampsia. Unfortunately, many of the news reports were written by people who do not always know how to interpret research, or how to present that research to traumatized patients. They may write headlines designed to get the most clicks, not to inform.
At #EndPreeclampsia we always support eating a healthy diet as much as you are able. Plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats, whole grains, and healthy fats. This is good whether you are pregnant or not. But we also understand that sometimes the only thing you can eat in pregnancy are plain crackers, due to morning sickness or HG. We understand that some of you live in “food deserts” where you may not have access to fresh foods. And sometimes you just really crave a cheeseburger.
The team here at EndPreeclampsia has reviewed this study, as well as many other studies. This was a meta-analysis that combined the work of several other smaller studies. But the quality of a meta-analysis will be affected by the quality of the studies it pulls from. The authors of this study did find that eating an “ultra-processed-foods-rich” diet slightly increased the rate of preeclampsia. However, they also qualified that statement by saying the quality of evidence was low.
It can be hard to study diet in #pregnancy. It would be unethical to lock women in a lab for a year from preconception through postpartum to control exactly what they do and do not eat. Many studies are done by giving patients questionnaires that ask them to remember how often they ate certain foods. Human memory can be unreliable. These studies also failed to account for underlying conditions or other factors. If they concluded that a certain food or diet pattern raised the risk of preeclampsia, is it actually because of the diet, or the other factors involved that were not accounted for? It is also important to define terms. There is a difference between someone who has an occasional fast-food meal and someone who only eats fast food. Exactly how much ultra-processed food does someone need to eat before it might become a problem?
One other thing the team here takes into account is which journal a study was published in. For this particular study, the publishing journal is one with a poor reputation. It will publish anything, regardless of quality, if the researchers pay for it. We tend to think poorly of any study that had to resort to publishing with them if they could not convince a more highly regarded journal to accept their work.
So, bottom line. What does this mean for you? We know preeclampsia is ultimately caused by the placenta, not lifestyle. Preeclampsia happens even to people with a perfect diet. It is considered multi-causal, with a long list of risk factors. It can be very hard to sort out which risk factors play what role in which cases. And something can be a risk factor without being a cause. It still all comes down to the placenta. You should not feel guilty thinking you caused preeclampsia by what you ate.
If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant in the future, we do encourage you to eat a healthy diet as much as you are able. But you should still monitor closely for preeclampsia and take any symptoms seriously. Diet changes are not a cure-all, and preeclampsia is still a possibility no matter how healthy you eat. As an evidence-based organization, we encourage you to be cautious when reading mainstream news reports, or even those posted in other social media groups and organizations. You can always come to us at EndPreeclampsia if you read something and have questions. Our Medical Board and our research team are constantly reviewing research, and translating the medical and research speak so we can share it with all mothers in an easy-to-understand format.
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