While it is known that a woman’s diet is linked to the well-being of her baby, doctors from the Department of Paediatric Cardiology at the State-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences have found that the consumption of a thiamine-deficient post-partum diet is directly linked to heart failure in babies. A diet comprising largely of only white rice can deprive new mothers of this vital nutrient.
The doctors studied 250 babies, between 0 and 6 months who showed severe pulmonary hypertension, over a period of six years from January 2013 to November 2019.
The babies were admitted with problems of fast breathing, vomiting, and an inability to breastfeed. Many babies required admission to the ICU and some required artificial respiratory support.
Evaluation revealed severely elevated pressure in the right side of the heart and the blood vessels of the lungs, which is known as pulmonary hypertension.
The doctors found that the life-threatening condition is related to the deficiency of a vitamin in the breast milk of mothers and can be treated with the common, cheaply available vitamin thiamine or Vitamin B1, said C.N. Manjunath, institute director, one of the authors of the study.
Of the 250 babies who were admitted, 230 had dramatic and complete improvement and were cured of the disease. The research was recently published in the peer-reviewed ‘Archives of Disease in Childhood’.
Lead authors, Usha M.K. Sastry and Jayranganath M., told The Hindu that the babies chosen for the study had severe pulmonary hypertension but did not have any other significant heart or lung disease.
“The history of symptoms, clinical examination, echocardiography, and basic investigation were performed. We recorded the dietary patterns of mothers and found that polished rice is their staple food. Consumption of polished rice can result in breast milk that is nutritionally depleted. This directly leads to heart failure in newborns. Thiamine was administered and serial echocardiography was performed and 231 babies responded well to thiamine,” said Dr. Jayranganath.
Dr. Sastry pointed out that polished rice is aesthetically pleasing for its colour, texture and ease of cooking, but stripped of the nutritious outer layer, which is rich in Vitamin B1.
“Strict restrictions are imposed on new mothers for two to three months after childbirth, as part of a dietary tradition, where they are given meals comprising just rice and devoid of dal, beans, legumes, and vegetables. This tradition is common in most parts of Karnataka, and a few parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,” she explained.
The doctors said a high degree of awareness and thiamine supplementation in relevant geographical areas is required to tackle this fatal disease. The study has recommended providing new mothers with a diet rich in red rice, parboiled rice, ragi, millets with abundant milk and vegetables.
“This can provide a robust diet rich in all vitamins to the baby by improving the quality of breast milk and can help in preventing this life-threatening disease in newborns,” added Dr. Manjunath.