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# Healthy prenatal diet helps prevent birth defects - new study
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/healthy_diet_birth_defects_0211120628/
- Published: 2012-02-11T19:17:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:46:18.000Z
- Description: Stanford's Suzan Carmichael drew on the National Birth Defects Prevention Study and found women eating high-quality diets were 51%, 44% and 26% less likely to have babies with anencephaly, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and cleft palate.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Diet, Nutrition, Birth Defects, Healthy Diet, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Saturday Feb 11, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Pregnant women eating a hearthy diet can reduce risk of birth defects, according to a new study in the Feb 2012 issue of the *Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine*.

The study led by Suzan L. Carmichael, PhD of Stanford University and colleagues found women eating high quality diet were 51 percent, 44 percent and 26 percent less likely to have babies with anencephaly, cleft lip with or without cleft palate , and cleft palate respectively.

The study was based on data on subjects participating in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study in ten medical centers in the United States from Oct 1997 through Dec. 2005\. Included in the analysis were 936 cases of neural tube defects or NTDS, 2475 with orofacial clefts and 6147 nonmalformed controls. 

The researchers concluded "Healthier maternal dietary patterns, as measured by diet quality scores, were associated with reduced risks of NTDs and clefts. These results suggest that dietary approaches could lead to further reduction in risks of major birth defects and complement existing efforts to fortify foods and encourage periconceptional multivitamin use."

According to the journal, a diet with high quality or healthy diet should include the following:

*\- Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are healthy choices for both mother and baby. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout pregnancy helps provide vitamins and minerals.*

*\- Dairy and calcium-rich foods: Both mother and baby need calcium for strong bones and teeth. Calcium also helps the circulatory, muscular, and nervous systems run normally. Dairy products are the richest source of calcium; many fruit juices and cereals are also fortified with calcium.*

*\- Lean protein: Protein is important for a baby's growth, especially during the second and third trimesters. Lean meat, poultry, fish, and eggs are good sources of protein. - Other options include beans, tofu, dairy products, and peanut butter.*

*\- Breads and grains: Mothers should choose grains that are high in fiber and enriched such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, and rice.*

*\- Iron-rich foods: Iron is important for the body to make hemoglobin, a protein in the red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues. During pregnancy, a mother's body needs additional iron to have enough oxygen for herself and her child. Good iron sources include lean red meat, poultry, and fish. Other sources include iron-fortified breakfast cereals, nuts, and dried fruit.*

*VITAMIN-RICH FOODS*

*Pregnancy is also a time in which certain vitamins are particularly important to promote a baby's growth and development.*

*\- Folic acid: Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps prevent neural tube defects, which are serious abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. Many cereals are fortified with folic acid. Other sources include dark-green leafy vegetables and beans.*

*\- Vitamin C: Foods rich in vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, honeydew, papaya, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes, and mustard greens.*

*\- Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps build a baby's bones and teeth. Good sources of Vitamin D include fatty fish such as salmon and tuna as well as fortified milk or juice.*

It should be noted that the amount of vitamin D fortified in milk and juice may not be enough for the mother and baby. The best way to get sufficient levels of this vitamin is to get lots of sun exposure. Otherwise, according to Vitamin D Council, pregnant women take vitamin d supplements to have at least 5,000 IU of vitamin D per day.

Folic acid is known to reduce risk of neural tube defects and it is added to many processed foods. The best way to get it is through eating dark green leafy vegetables and beans as the journal mentioned.