A large new study from Norway suggests that pregnant women who eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains and drink plenty of water may have a lower risk of giving birth prematurely.

Preterm delivery, is defined as giving birth between 22 and 37 weeks of pregnancy, and is lnked with short- and long-term health problems in children, and accounts for nearly 75 percent of all newborn deaths, according to the study.

The researchers identified three distinct diets: “prudent”, “Western” and “traditional”.

A prudent diet included vegetables, salad, fruits, nuts, oils, yoghurts, whole grain cereals, poultry, fibre-rich bread and water as a beverage.

The traditional diet included boiled potatoes, fish, gravy, cooked vegetables and low fat milk.

A Western diet included salty snacks, chocolates and sweets, chips, cakes, white bread, dairy desserts, processed meat products and sugar sweetened drinks.

They found that an overall ‘prudent’ dietary pattern was associated with a significantly reduced risk of preterm delivery, especially among women having their first baby.They also found a significantly reduced risk of preterm delivery for the ‘traditional’ diet.

Although the findings couldn’t establish a direct link between diet and preterm delivery, they support the advice given to pregnant women to eat a balanced diet. They also indicate that preterm delivery might actually be modified by maternal diet.

“We don’t completely understand preterm labour, and nutrition is only one factor,” said Christine Metz, an obstetrics researcher at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y., who was not involved in the study.

According to Metz, the biggest risk factor for preterm labour is having a previous preterm birth, though factors such as smoking, alcohol or drug use, inadequate prenatal care or having twins or triplets also play a role.

The foods a woman eats during pregnancy is very important as a bad pregnancy diet can the increase the risk of conditions such as gestational diabetes, obesity, preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), which in turn might affect the health of the mother or fetus, Metz said.

A pregnant woman needs to ensure that her diet provides enough nutrients and energy for her baby to develop and grow properly, and also to make sure that her body is healthy enough to deal with the changes that are occurring.