Western Diet Linked to Birth Defects

A new study from the Netherlands that analyzed the diets of 381 mothers found that a Western diet is linked to birth defects. Those women with a “Western dietary pattern,” characterized by high intakes of organ meat, red meat, processed meat, pizza, legumes, potatoes, French fries, condiments, and mayonnaise, but low intakes of fruits had a higher risk of a cleft lip or cleft palate among their offspring. Women who consumed the greatest amount of these foods had nearly double the risk compared with those who consumed the least.