News

Fact/Fiction: Could eating crisps while pregnant harm your baby?

Old news, truthfully retold. This week we ask if you have to pack it in when it comes to snacking on foods containing lineolic acid when expecting

crisps Fact Fiction 1361

How it was told

Tabloids warning expectant mothers what to steer clear of is nothing new.

In fact, the NHS’s own list of no-no foods is pretty comprehensive, encompassing everything from soft cheeses with white rinds and raw meats down to liquorice and pâté.

You won’t find crisps on there though.

But you would have found that warning in some of the papers on May 25.

Take The Sun’s print warning of “Crisps ‘a baby risk’” that opened with the claim that “eating too many crisps could harm unborn babies”. Or their online version that opted for “CRISP RISK: Pregnant women warned ‘eating too many crisps could affect unborn baby’s growth’”, taking a step back from the claim made in the physical edition.

Mirror Online went for “Mums-to-be ‘should avoid eating crisps to protect their unborn child’” while Mail Online widened the warning. Their article looked at other foods in “Mothers-to-be should avoid eating snacks fried in vegetable oil such as pizza and chips ‘because they could harm babies in the womb’”.

Away from the papers, Heart Radio also got in on the act with the altogether vaguer “Pregnant women urged not to eat CRISPS as they could affect the baby” while the story received extensive coverage globally.

All reports stemmed from the same Australian study that looked at diets with high omega 6 – specifically linoleic acid – content to assess their impact on pregnant mothers and their unborn children.

As well as reporting harm, many of the articles reported that there would be fewer male babies as a result of scoffing crisps, while babies’ growth would be affected.

But should pregnant women pack it in when it comes to crisps?

Facts. Checked

Yes and no.

The suggestion doing the rounds that eating crisps while pregnant could cause “harm” to your unborn child is a sensational claim.

Take this quote from Dr Deanne Skelly, a senior lecturer in Griffith University’s school of environment and science, who led the research that was published in the Journal of Physiology.

“Our findings suggest that it’s probably a good recommendation for women who are thinking of getting pregnant to reduce the content of omega 6 in their diet,” Dr Skelly said.

“But we don’t know at this point if it is going to cause deleterious effects long-term.”

That is a pretty clear indication that the researchers behind the study are still to prove that there is harm to the baby.

However, the researchers did find that there were fewer male babies born from rats that ate a high linoleic-acid diet during tests as reported by the news stories.

They also found that their liver had altered concentrations of inflammatory proteins and levels of prostaglandin E were increased, while leptin was decreased.

The former is a protein that can cause contraction of the uterus during pregnancy while the latter is a hormone that can regulate growth and development. Both areas are covered in the stories.

But while ‘harm’ of a high linoleic-acid diet to your baby may not yet be proven, there are other reasons to cut down on the crisps.

Crisps are also high in salt – with a packet of 32.5g Walkers Cheese and Onion, for example, containing 0.4g of salt, or seven per cent of the recommended daily 6g intake. Overdoing it with the salt does pose a confirmed risk, with the NHS warning that it causes high blood pressure that can lead to a stroke or heart disease.

It is worth noting that this study only changed the levels of linoleic acid between the human and animal model groups rather than fat, sugar or salt.

But the latter trio should be kept in check as part of a healthy diet, whether you’re pregnant or not.

Images: Miles Cole

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
I started doing crime by age 6. I didn't know any other life – all my birthdays were in prison
Crime

I started doing crime by age 6. I didn't know any other life – all my birthdays were in prison

Local housing allowance is finally going up. But is it anything more than just a short-term fix?
Jeremy Hunt announced local housing allowance rise
Benefits

Local housing allowance is finally going up. But is it anything more than just a short-term fix?

Calls to nationalise Thames Water as Brits face 40% increase in bills: 'A con and a disgrace'
Water bills

Calls to nationalise Thames Water as Brits face 40% increase in bills: 'A con and a disgrace'

Will free school meals and vouchers be offered over the Easter holidays?
Free school meals/ Easter holidays
Free school meals

Will free school meals and vouchers be offered over the Easter holidays?

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know