Conclusions
The current study analyzes dietary habits of pregnant or
recently pregnant women in Downey, CA, with particular
emphasis on consumption intake of substances thought to
be teratogenic in nature. Our main findings are summaries
as percentages of women reporting consumption of
unhealthy foods and beverages during pregnancies. For
example, we found high numbers of Hispanic pregnant
women consumed methylmercury through tuna, PCBs
through salmon consumption, BPA through canned
goods, DBAs containing tap water, caffeine containing
beverages, and alcohol containing beverages during pregnancy.
We also found that large percentages of pregnant
Hispanic women reported eating high sugar sweet desserts
and high fat and salt fast foods more than once a week. A
small number of women reported the use of certain nonrecommended
over-the-counter medications such as
aspirin and ibuprofen, as well as prescription medications
with unsafe FDA pregnancy categories. These data reflect
a remaining risk in certain populations for adverse
outcomes in fetal development. Fortunately, a majority of
the women surveyed report taking prenatal vitamins,
which aid in the prevention of many neural tube defects.
Additionally, percentages women reporting healthy
consumption habits were generally high. In summary, our
findings in a population of predominantly Hispanic
women suggest high levels of consumption of substances
that serve as potential teratogens to unborn children.
Because we have not surveyed other populations of pregnant
women, we do not know whether this is something
unique to Hispanic women, or ubiquitous among women
of multiple ethnicities. However, it is clear that prenatal
medical professionals should discourage the consumption
of dangerous foods, beverages, and medications that
women commonly report consuming during pregnancy.