Cocoa... Safe in pregnancy ?

I did find that mothers who were pregnant who ate dark chocolate with a high content of cocoa had babies that were more alert and happier, easier to settle and could actually lower the odds of preeclamsia so that seems very positive ? I'm off to have my cup of cocoa then :lol: Here are the links if you're interested:

Chocolate in pregnancy keeps baby happy - 07 April 2004 - New Scientist

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.

And the babies of stressed women who had regularly consumed chocolate showed less fear of new situations than babies of stressed women who abstained.

The researchers point out that they cannot rule out the possibility that chocolate consumption and baby behaviour are both linked with some other factor.

But they speculate that the effects they observed could result from chemicals in chocolate associated with positive mood being passed on to the baby in the womb.

Journal reference: Early Human Development (vol 76, p 139)

Log In Problems

Eating Chocolate May Decrease Risk for Preeclampsia CME/CE
News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
Disclosures

Release Date: May 2, 2008; Valid for credit through May 2, 2009 Credits Available

Physicians - maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)? for physicians;
Family Physicians - up to 0.25 AAFP Prescribed credit(s) for physicians;
Nurses - 0.25 nursing contact hours (None of these credits is in the area of pharmacology)

To participate in this internet activity: (1) review the target audience, learning objectives, and author disclosures; (2) study the education content; (3) take the post-test and/or complete the evaluation; (4) view/print certificate View details.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

Describe the association between preeclampsia and theobromine concentration (as a marker of chocolate consumption) in umbilical cord serum.
Describe the association between preeclampsia and self-reported chocolate consumption during pregnancy.
Authors and Disclosures
Laurie Barclay, MD
Disclosure: Laurie Barclay, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Brande Nicole Martin
Disclosure: Brande Nicole Martin has disclosed no relevant financial information.

May 2, 2008 ? Chocolate may decrease the risk for preeclampsia, according to the results of a prospective cohort study reported in the May issue of Epidemiology.

"Preeclampsia is a major pregnancy complication with cardiovascular manifestations," write Elizabeth W. Triche, PhD, from the Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues. "Recent studies suggest that chocolate consumption may benefit cardiovascular health."

The study sample used to evaluate the association of chocolate consumption with the risk for preeclampsia consisted of 2291 pregnant women who delivered a singleton live birth between September 1996 and January 2000.

The investigators measured chocolate consumption by self-report in the first and third trimesters and by umbilical cord serum concentrations of theobromine, which is the main methylxanthine component of chocolate. Detailed medical record review for 1943 of the women allowed determination of preeclampsia. Logistic regression models controlling for potential confounders were used to determine adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Of 1681 women, preeclampsia developed in 63 (3.7%). Umbilical cord serum theobromine concentrations were inversely associated with preeclampsia (for the highest vs the lowest quartile [aOR, 0.31; CI, 0.11 - 0.87]).

Self-reported estimates of chocolate consumption were also negatively associated with preeclampsia. The risk for preeclampsia was decreased for women consuming 5 or more servings per week vs women consuming less than 1 serving of chocolate weekly (aOR, 0.81; CI, 0.37 - 1.79 for consumption in the first 3 months of pregnancy and aOR, 0.60; CI, 0.30 - 1.24 in the last 3 months).

"Our results suggest that chocolate consumption during pregnancy may lower risk of preeclampsia," the study authors write. "However, reverse causality may also contribute to these findings."

Limitations of this study include difficulty standardizing self-reported chocolate consumption, possible reverse causality if women diagnosed with preeclampsia reduced their calorie intake after diagnosis, possible residual confounding by smoking or body mass index (BMI), small number of women with preeclampsia, and potential misclassification of exposure.

"Because of the importance of preeclampsia as a major complication of pregnancy, replication of these results in other large prospective studies with a detailed assessment of chocolate consumption is warranted," the study authors write. "Measurements of chocolate exposure should be designed to permit careful examination of the temporal relationship between chocolate consumption in pregnancy and subsequent risk of preeclampsia."

The National Institute on Drug Abuse supported this study.

Epidemiology. 2008;19:459-464.

Clinical Context
Chocolate contains more than 600 beneficial compounds including flavonoids, magnesium, and theobromine, and recent research suggests that chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, may benefit cardiovascular health. The potent antioxidants in flavonoids can induce nitric oxide?dependent vasodilation and also have antiplatelet and anti-inflammatory effects.

Preeclampsia is a serious maternal complication of pregnancy that shares many characteristics and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chocolate consumption is associated with preeclampsia.

Study Highlights
Pregnant women were recruited from September 1996 to January 2000 from 56 obstetric practices and 15 clinics associated with 6 hospitals in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Exclusion criteria were more than 24 weeks' gestational age at enrollment, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, non-English or Spanish-speaking women, or intention to terminate the pregnancy.
Of 11,267 women screened for the study, 9576 met eligibility criteria, and 3631 women were invited to participate, of whom 2478 (68%) enrolled, 639 (18%) declined, 424 (12%) were lost to follow-up, 72 (2%) had a miscarriage before enrollment, and 20 (< 1%) were not eligible at enrollment interview.
Of the 2478 enrolled women, 2291 (92%) delivered a singleton infant live birth.
The investigators measured chocolate consumption by self-report in the first and third trimesters and by umbilical cord serum concentrations of theobromine (the main methylxanthine component of chocolate).
Umbilical cord blood biomarker data were available for 1611 infants, 1995 women provided data on both first-trimester and third-trimester chocolate consumption, and preeclampsia status was determined for 1943 women from detailed medical record review.
Logistic regression models controlling for potential confounders were used to determine aORs and 95% CIs.
Reported chocolate consumption was high, particularly in the third trimester.
Women who reported consuming more chocolate tended to be younger, less well educated, Hispanic, women who smoked during pregnancy, and women receiving prenatal care in clinics.
Of 1681 women, preeclampsia developed in 63 (3.7%).
Higher BMI, education, and nulliparity were most strongly associated with increased risk for preeclampsia.
Umbilical cord serum theobromine concentrations were negatively associated with preeclampsia (for the highest vs the lowest quartile [aOR, 0.31; CI, 0.11 - 0.87]).
Self-reported estimates of chocolate consumption were also negatively associated with preeclampsia.
The risk for preeclampsia was decreased for women consuming 5 or more servings of chocolate per week in the first 3 months of pregnancy vs women consuming less than 1 serving of chocolate weekly (aOR, 0.81; CI, 0.37 - 1.79).
The risk for preeclampsia was also decreased for women consuming 5 or more servings of chocolate per week in the last 3 months of pregnancy vs women consuming less than 1 serving of chocolate weekly (aOR, 0.60; CI, 0.30 - 1.24).
Limitations of this study include difficulty standardizing self-reported chocolate consumption, possible reverse causality, possible residual confounding by smoking or BMI, small number of women with preeclampsia, and potential misclassification of exposure.
Based on these findings, the investigators concluded that chocolate consumption during pregnancy may lower the risk for preeclampsia.
However, they recommend replication of these results in other large, prospective studies with a detailed evaluation of chocolate consumption, including the temporal relationship between chocolate consumption in pregnancy and subsequent preeclampsia.
Pearls for Practice
In this prospective cohort study of pregnant women, concentrations of umbilical cord serum theobromine, a marker for chocolate consumption, were negatively associated with preeclampsia.
Self-reported estimates of chocolate consumption were also negatively associated with preeclampsia in this study. The risk for preeclampsia was decreased by 19% for women consuming 5 or more servings per week vs women consuming less than 1 serving of chocolate weekly in the first 3 months of pregnancy. The risk for preeclampsia was decreased by 40% for women consuming 5 or more servings per week in the last 3 months of pregnancy vs women consuming less than 1 serving of chocolate weekly.