Study Links Sugary Foods to Birth Defect Risk
 (NY, Reuters Health, 12/03/03)

A study conducted by Dr. Gary M. Shaw, of the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program in Berkeley evaluated the dietary habits of more than 900 California mothers. The researchers found that the children of women who consumed high glycemic-index foods, which tend to produce spikes in blood sugar, were more likely to be born with defects of the brain or spine. These findings confirm an association between blood sugar control and birth defects, but additional research is required to establish causality.