That virtuous treat so beloved of ladies in commercials may not be so virtuous after all: a study shows that pregnant women who eat low-fat yogurt may increase their babies’ risk of asthma and hay fever.
According to ABC, researchers studied dietary records kept by 61,000 women, and found that kids whose moms ate one or more low-fat fruit yogurts per day during pregnancy were more likely to get asthma and hay fever than kids whose mothers stayed away from the stuff. Drinking low-fat or skim milk, rather than whole, during pregnancy also appeared to increase kids’ risk. Researchers think the fatty acids in whole milk may be protective, but that doesn’t explain the yogurt effect. The fruity snack could contain harmful additives — or, says study author Ekaterina Maslova, “intake of low-fat yogurt may be a marker of other behaviors or lifestyle choices that may be driving these associations.” So maybe it’s all that lounging in bathrobes or gabbing with girlfriends that’s making babies sick?
How should women react to this news? Well, this wouldn’t be a pregnancy story without some confusing advice. Dr. Jana Klauer tells ABC,
It’s recommended that pregnant women keep down the amount of calories and fat. They don’t want to gain too much weight. The current recommendation is low-fat dairy.
Clearly, the only answer is to eat nothing but lentils throughout your entire pregnancy. This is associated with a 1000% increased risk of your baby coming out as a giant lentil with arms and legs, but at least it won’t have hay fever.
Low-Fat Yogurt Consumption Tied To Asthma And Hay Fever Risk In Kids, Says Study [ABC]