Research Suggests Eating Eggs During Pregnancy Can Boost Baby

While pregnant, it is important to eat a balanced diet so that you can feed your new baby the necessary nutrients for a healthy life.  For years women have been discouraged from eating eggs while pregnant, but new research suggests that it may be beneficial.  Since eggs contain the choline – an essential nutrient for the body’s health – research suggests that incorporating eggs into your diet can lower your child’s chances of being diagnosed with stress-related illness and hypertension.

“A relatively simple nutrient can have significant effects in prenatal life, and that these effects likely continue to have a long-lasting influence on adult life,” said study author Professor Eva K. Pressman.  “While our results won’t change practice at this point, the idea that maternal choline intake could essentially change foetal genetic expression into adulthood is quite novel”.

Introduced as an essential nutrient in 1998, choline is quite new – but its young age does not diminish its importance.  Since its establishment, researchers believe that choline is required for foetal brain development.  Other benefits include reducing the risk of neural tubes and heart disease, which are all very important for growing babies.

Pressman, director of the high-risk pregnancy program at the University of Rochester Medical Center, believes further research will identify choline as an essential supplement for pregnant women, similar to the way in which folate is prescribed.  There is still more research to be done, but it may be a good idea to start working choline-rich foods into your diet, including eggs, lean meat and beans.