Asthma in Pregnancy Controlled through Diet

An even greater motivation for women looking to conceive and already pregnant to consume a healthy diet for has been established: the link to asthma severity during pregnancy.

The Robinson Research Institute at University of Adelaide found that women who already suffered from asthma faced an increased risk of complications during pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia, early delivery and low birth weight, but when they regularly ate fried food and refined grains their asthma-related symptoms could advanced to “uncontrolled asthma” which is risky for both mother and child in the case of an asthma attack.

Dr Jessica Grieger says women with asthma can dramatically reduce the risk of pregnancy complications by effectively managing their asthma through a diet of “lean meat, poultry and fish, and lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables before getting pregnant because we know that women rarely change their diet once they become pregnant.”

“Asthma can change when a woman becomes pregnant, with 50% of women experiencing a worsening of asthma as pregnancy progresses.

“Asthma can be managed well during pregnancy with regular use of preventer medication, regular visits to the doctor when asthma flares up, and by eating a healthy and well-balanced diet.

“Women with moderate and severe asthma should also have a current asthma action plan (which can be prepared alongside a doctor), and this is even more important for pregnant women,” she says.