Good news for chocolate lovers, especially considering the long list of foods that pregnant women should avoid during this process. Now, a new study presented at the meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine held recently in Atlanta (USA) has concluded that taking 30 grams of chocolate every day during the months of pregnancy can benefit the growth and development of the baby. fetus.
The research, carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Laval in Quebec (Canada) has explored the benefits of moderate consumption of chocolate (not excess, due to its fat, sugar and caffeine content). For this, they had the participation of 129 pregnant women who were between weeks 11-14 of gestation.
Using the Doppler scan , a test that measures the uterus, placenta, and fetal blood flow, experts can learn about the risk of pre-eclampsia, hypertension, or other potential complications to watch out for during pregnancy.
The mothers were randomly assigned to groups, with a control group that did not eat chocolate and other groups that had to consume 30 grams of chocolate daily (from least to most cocoa) for the next 12 weeks. After this period, a new pulsatility test was performed. The experiment continued until they gave birth.
The results revealed that the women who had taken chocolate had a significant improvement in the uterine artery , showing a positive benefit in both growth and fetal development thanks to chocolate, even with a low level of flavanols, not only with dark chocolate.
” This study indicates that the benefits of chocolate are not solely and exclusively due to the flavonoid content”, explains Emmanuel Bujold, leader of the study.
