Pregnancy tips Can Chocolate Help With Pregnancy Complications?

I should have posted this on Valentine's day! It looks like there might be good news for chocolate lovers! A moderate amount might help reduce the chances of developing preeclampsia. Read more:

pregnancyrx.com

From the article:

In the study, the researchers observed almost 2,300 women who delivered a baby. They questioned them on the amount of chocolate they had consumed in the first and third trimesters. They found that those who had consumed the most were least likely to be the ones who had developed preeclampsia.

Specifically, if they had eaten five or more servings per week in the third trimester, their chance of developing the condition was 40 percent less likely than the women who had chocolate than than one time per week.

And while the results were more striking in the third semester, there was also some benefit to the women during the first trimester. The study showed that those who ate five or more servings per week had a 19 percent lesser chance of developing preeclampsia than those who had chocolate foods than than a single time a week.

The reason for this could be that theobromine might improve circulation in the woman's placenta, as it also blocks oxidative stress.

Having said all of this, there is still the caffeine issue. Other studies have shown that it could be unhealthy for a pregnant women to consume too much caffeine during their pregnancy--and of course, chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine. So how does the woman balance all of this?

The key is moderation. The American Pregnancy Association says that a moderate amount of caffeine each day--which it defines as no more than 150 to 300 mg a day -- should be fine. And an ounce of dark chocolate could have somewhere between 5 and 35 mg. So this should leave plenty of room for some dark chocolate in the diet.