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The risk to give birth to a child with spina bifida was reduced by 70% in women with high adherence to a Mediterranean Diet

In the past, many epidemiological studies have focused upon single nutrients, such as the B-vitamin and folic acid with regard to risk of neural tube defects and other malformations. Lately, dietary pattern analysis has emerged as a new method of assessing overall behaviour in food consumption.

The aim of the present study was to study if maternal diet is associated with the risk of spina bifida in the offspring. It is a case–control trial study in the Netherlands (1999–2001) that assessed the dietary patterns in 50 mothers of children with spina bifida and 81 control mothers.

The Mediterranean dietary pattern was most prevalent among study participants and was characterised by high intakes of fruit, vegetables, vegetable oil, fish, legumes and cereals, moderate alcohol intake, and low intakes of potatoes and sweets. In the study it was observed that the Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with higher folate and vitamin B12 and lower homocysteine concentrations. An important finding was that we it was found that the risk to give birth to a child with spina bifida was reduced by 70% in women with high adherence to a Mediterranean diet.

Understanding how the Mediterranean diet modifies biological processes may raise new possibilities for primary prevention measures in (pre)pregnancy to avoid birth defects in offspring, especially spina bifida.

Vujkovic M, Steegers EA, Looman CW, Ocké MC, van der Spek PJ, Steegers-Theunissen RP.

Vujkovic M, Steegers EA, Looman CW, Ocké MC, van der Spek PJ, Steegers-Theunissen RP. The maternal Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with a reduced risk of spina bifida in the offspring. BJOG. 2009 Feb;116(3):408-15.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19187373