Cravings are part of pregnancy. For many women, one of the foods often craved is chocolate. We often try to ignore the craving in an effort to keep weight gain in check. Emerging research suggests a possible big health benefit to enjoying some chocolate in your pregnancy.
According to a study conducted at Yale University, women who eat chocolate have a lower risk of developing pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia, also known as pregnancy induced hypertension, is a complication of pregnancy which causes high blood pressure, protein in the urine and swelling in the extremities.
In past studies, a link between dark chocolate and cardiovascular disease has been shown. Researchers at Yale wanted to determine if there were similar benefits in pregnant women experiencing pre eclampsia.
Participants in the study reported information about the amount of chocolate they consumed. When their babies were born, samples of the cord blood was taken and tested for the presence of theobromine. This is a byproduct of chocolate which can be found in the blood.
The study showed the women consuming five servings of dark chocolate a week had a lower rate of pre-eclampsia. Higher levels of theobromine were associated with the lowest risk of developing pre-eclampsia. The group of women with the highest blood levels was 70 percent less likely to have pre-eclampsia.
This information is not an excuse to eat three pounds of chocolate each day. A serving is really only the size of about two Hershey’s kisses. Enjoy a bit of chocolate to reap any health benefits, but don’t go so far that you end up gaining too much weight. This isn’t healthy for you or the baby and it’s hard to lose that extra weight later.
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