Chocolate in pregnancy keeps baby happy

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 08 Apr 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Expectant mothers can take heart this Easter. Tucking into chocolate eggs is good for the baby, according to a study of over 300 women - especially if you are feeling a bit on edge.

Katri Raikkonen at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and her colleagues asked pregnant women to rate their stress levels and chocolate consumption.

After the babies were born, they looked for an association between the amount of chocolate their mothers had eaten and the babies' behaviour. Six months after birth, the researchers asked mothers to rate their infants' behaviour in various categories, including fear, soothability, smiling and laughter.

The babies born to women who had been eating chocolate daily during pregnancy were more active and "positively reactive" - a measure that encompasses traits such as smiling and laughter.

To read full article go to: The New Scientist Web Site
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994854

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