Pre-eclampsia, which is characterised by high blood pressure, affects one in ten expectant mothers and occurs late in the pregnancy. In some cases, women can suffer fits forcing doctors to deliver the baby prematurely.
The study reported on the American Journal of Hypertension website has shown that increasing fibre intake during the first three months of pregnancy can reduce the risk of the life-threatening condition by more than half.
In a study of 1,538 women's diets before conception and during the first three months of pregnancy, Dr Chunfang Qiu of the Swedish Medical Centre, found that mothers whose diets were rich in grain, fruit and vegetables
