Pregnant women who eat a healthy diet help to cut their risk of going into premature labour, researchers reveal today.
A traditional plain diet based on cooked fish also helps to reduce risk, researchers found.
Both diets cut the risk of premature birth by about 10%, according to the research published in the British Medical Journal.
The findings come from a study of 66,000 women in Norway in the first decade of this century.
Researchers concluded that the best diet was rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grain and water.
But a traditional Norwegian diet of boiled potatoes, fish and cooked vegetables was almost as effective in protecting against premature birth.
The study was conducted by Dr Linda Englund-Ögge, of the Sahlgrenska Academy, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Jane Munro, of the UK Royal College of Midwives, said: "These are welcome and interesting findings that support the advice given to pregnant women by midwives about their diet.
“This study is a useful addition to the evidence that healthy eating and ensuring women drink enough water can have a significant impact and help to reduce the potentially serious problem of pre-term birth."
BMJ 4 March 2014 [abstract]
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