Skip the Soda During Pregnancy

To Your Health August, 2017 (Vol. 11, Issue 08)

Skip the Soda During Pregnancy

By Editorial Staff

While it's not completely understood why many women experience food cravings when baby's on the way, we are beginning to understand which cravings you should try to fight if you can help it.

Soda – particularly non-diet soda – is one of them. Here's why: Women who drink non-diet soda during pregnancy are doing their son or daughter a big disservice when it comes to their weight in childhood.

A recent study published in Pediatrics highlights this risk. Researchers studied more than 1,000 mother-child pairs and found each additional serving of non-diet (i.e., sugary) soda a pregnant woman consumed per day increased the odds that their child had larger waist size and body mass by age 7 compared to children whose mothers did not consume non-diet soda. What's more, approximately 25 percent of children enrolled in the study were overweight or obese by mid-childhood; body-mass index, waist circumference and skinfold thickness (an indication of body fat) were highest in children whose mothers drank two or more non-diet sodas per day during pregnancy.

The bottom line: Stay away from the sugary soda when you're expecting! You and your child will benefit in a big way. And by the way, while maternal diet soda consumption was not linked to childhood obesity in this study, that doesn't mean the diet variety is part of the healthy, balanced diet you and your future child need. Your doctor can tell you more about which foods to stock up on and which to limit / avoid during this important time.