UK Women are Shunning Nutritious Foods and Endangering Their Unborn Babies

A study that was funded by the by the Health Supplements Information Service (HSIS) and Proprietary Association of Great Britain, a trade association for manufacturers of food supplements and over-the-counter medicines was published recently in Nutrition Bulletin, a publication of the British Nutrition Foundation, a registered charity.

The study claims that women in UK face health risks because the nutrition value of the food they eat is too low. As Daily Mail says "they are shunning nutritious foods". By expressing love for fast food women are endangering their unborn babies. The study exposed the following findings: among most age groups, the intake of the most important micronutrients, such as iron, vitamin D, calcium and folic acid, are bellow recommended levels. Additionally, women generally eat a diet that is too high in saturated fats, too low in fibre, oily fish such as mackerel or salmon, and they do not eat enough vegetables and fruit. The study also emphasizes that a poor diet and alcohol might not only be harmful for the unborn baby, but might also lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and mental problems.

The review of the study summarized over 100 studies addressing women's diets and dietary deficiencies, and it also analyzed how diet relates to other aspects of health. I am not claiming that the findings aren't true, because with the lifestyle most people lead, it is very possible that most women (and men) do not consume nutrients that are needed. However, it is important to bring out that the review of more than 100 studies did not state how those studies that were included in the review were identified. Perhaps the review didn't include all relevant studies, because the studies that were not included may not agree with the findings of studies that were included. This might lead to conclusion that maybe the women in UK are healthier than it is presented in this summarization of 100 studies.