Yale University researchers surveyed 2,500 women about their eating habits during pregnancy. Those who ate chocolate three times a week or more were shown to have fewer occurrences of pre-eclampsia. The researchers claim that eating large quantities of chocolate during the first trimester is especially beneficial. This seems like a bit of a strange study to me. I wonder what the goal of the researchers was at its onset. Did they already suspect that chocolate could prevent pre-eclampsia, or did they start the study with hopes of collecting different information? Some people also claim that eating dark chocolate could lower the blood pressure. I wonder if these two factors are linked? Did the study that concluded eating chocolate could prevent pre-eclampsia do any research into the type of chocolate pregnant women were eating? Or does any old chocolate reduce the risks? I'd love to hear more about this. If the findings of the Yale University study are true, that would sure be a piece of good news.
Pre-eclampsia is one of the most dangerous conditions that can strike a woman in pregnancy, and one of the few truly justified reasons to induce a woman (if she is already near term) or even perform an emergency c-section. Pre-eclampsia is a disruption of the transportation of nutrients to the unborn baby, due to a halt in the development of blood vessels in the placenta. It can be notoriously difficult to diagnose, and often the mother's suddenly spiking blood pressure is the only indication of pre-eclampsia.
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