POOR nutrition around the time of conception can trigger premature birth, according to a study of pregnant sheep. If the same is true for people, a bad diet could account for some of the 40 per cent of premature births that remain unexplained each year in developed countries.
Premature birth is by far the most common cause of neonatal death, and its incidence in Western societies has increased in the past decade. Previous studies have found that reduced maternal nutrition – in women with anorexia, for example – can cause lower birthweight in babies born after the full gestation period.…
