Vegetarian Diet During Pregnancy Can Lead To Substance Abuse In Offspring

Add as a preferred source on Google

A recent study has found that pregnant vegetarians are three times more likely to have kids who abuse drugs and alcohol in their teenage years.

This research was based on a long-running study where the researchers asked 10,000 teenagers about their use of alcohol, cannabis and tobacco.

The study found that children of women who ate most meat in pregnancy were less likely to be users of alcohol, cannabis or tobacco at the age of 15, compared to those who ate little or no meat at all.

The researchers suggest that this was because women who don't eat meat might have low levels of vitamin B12. This can in turn affect the brain development.

It is necessary that you get all the nutrients during pregnancy like iron, vitamin B12 and calcium. Pregnant women who eat a vegetarian diet may find it difficult to get enough vitamin B12, which is one of the nutrients found in meat and necessary for brain development.

They analysed that teenagers born to mothers who had a vegetarian diet pattern were found to have behavioural problems due to drinking alcohol, moderate use of cannabis, using tobacco on a daily basis.

The study also found that the chances of having one of these substance abuses got reduced, the more meat a woman ate.