Fruit, veggies prevent premature birth

Pregnant women are often told to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and a new study confirms that a healthy diet is linked to a reduced risk of premature birth, Newsmax Health reports.

Researchers analyzed data gathered from more than 66,000 pregnant women in Norway between 2002 and 2008. Premature birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) occurred in slightly more than 5 percent of the pregnancies.

Women who ate a "prudent" diet that included plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and water had a much lower risk of preterm delivery, as did those with a traditional Norwegian diet of boiled potatoes, fish and cooked vegetables, the investigators found.

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