VIDEO: Nutrition has ‘profound impact’ on pregnancy outcomes

Health care providers need to learn more about nutrition — especially its impact during pregnancy — according to Kurt R. Wharton, MD, FACOG, chief of the Women’s and Children’s Clinical Care Programs for Beaumont Health in Michigan.

“We are doing too little, too late,” he told Healio.

Wharton, who is also a professor of OB/GYN at Oakland University's William Beaumont School of Medicine, was part of a panel of experts at ACOG’s Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting that addressed the knowledge gaps in nutrition, which stretch back to medical school.

Diet can have a “profound impact” on pregnancy outcomes, Wharton explained. For example, findings published in April showed that adopting the Mediterranean diet during pregnancy can reduce the risk for preeclampsia by up to 22%. The results were from a study of almost 9,000 women.

Wharton mentioned national efforts that are underway to address the knowledge gaps — including a resolution that recently passed in the U.S. House that calls for improved nutrition education in medical schools and residency and fellowship programs — as well as a joint effort by ACOG and other professional societies to raise awareness among providers about the nutritional needs of pregnant women and their children.

References:

• Minhas AS, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022;doi:10.1161/JAHA.121.022589.
• McGovern resolution on nutrition education in medical schools passes House. https://mcgovern.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398867. Posted May 17, 2022. Accessed June 2, 2022.
• Wharton K, et al. Nutrition facts or fiction: What we should have learned in school. Presented at: ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting; May 6-8, 2022; San Diego.