Research written in Matern Fetal Neonatal Med in 2019 shows that moderate consumption of chocolate during pregnancy is safe and can help lower the mother's blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of preeclampsia.
Researcher Latif R in this journal said that eating chocolate during pregnancy is also not associated with birth defects.
As written on the Very Well Health page, Monday (14/4), although chocolate is beneficial, consuming excessive amounts of chocolate can cause narrowing of the arteries that carry oxygenated blood to the fetus, called the ductus arteriosus. This can lead to the development of potentially serious fetal heart problems.
Another concern is that chocolate, particularly cocoa, is one of the highest dietary sources of cadmium. Excessive cadmium exposure can lead to low birth weight in newborns.
To this end, mothers are advised to limit their intake of dark chocolate to no more than 30 grams, or about one 1.5-inch square, per day.
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