Cultural influences on food cravings and aversions during pregnancy

Coronios‐Vargas, Mary; Toma, R. B.; Tuveson, Richard V.; Schutz, Iris M.

doi:10.1080/03670244.1992.9991224

Cited by 10 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…This would imply that women who avoid foods are better off economically and nutritionally. Another possible explanation based on the results of this study is that the correlation of food aversion with food craving (which was also observed by Coronios-Vargas et al [2] and Alemu and Wolde-Gabreil [personal communication, 1995]) might account for the better nutritional status of those women who avoided specific foods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…The high prevalence of aversion to cereal foods (which are the most commonly consumed foods in the area) supports the widely held view that pregnant women avoid staple foods. Coronios-Vargas et al [2], in an extensive study that covered four ethnic groups in the United States, observed that women avoided staple foods. Similar results were reported in a study in Ethiopia [F. Alemu and Z. Wolde-Gabreil, personal communication, 1995].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Some researchers argue that aversions and cravings are idiosyncratic, learned behaviours, which therefore should be considered extrinsic, exogenous phenomena [2]. Other researchers attribute aversions and cravings to intrinsic physiological processes geared towards ensuring the optimal growth and development of the foetus [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Several studies have observed that women usually avoid staple or commonly consumed foods [2]. Studies also indicate that relatively high proportions of pregnant women avoid alcoholic beverages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Whereas some women report a dislike of or total aversion to specific foods, others report a strong craving for specific foods and non-food items, which are usually not readily accessible. Food aversions and cravings during pregnancy are known all over the world [1,2], but despite their ubiquity, neither their causes nor their ultimate effects on maternal nutrition have been well established scientifically. The opinions that have been documented so far are speculative, contradictory, or inconclusive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food Aversions and Cravings during Pregnancy: Prevalence and Significance for Maternal Nutrition in Ethiopia

Demissie¹,

Muroki²,

Kogi-Makau³

1998

Food Nutr Bull

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A cross-sectional study of the nutritional significance of food aversions and cravings during pregnancy was conducted on 295 women in southern Ethiopia between February and May 1995. A questionnaire was used to collect data on dietary practices. Mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT), and weight measurements were used to assess nutritional status. Slightly fewer than three-quarters (71%) of the women craved one or more foods, whereas about two-thirds (65%) avoided at least one food. Cereal foods, despite being staple foods in the area, were avoided by more women (41%) than any other foods. Livestock products, which were scarce at the time of the study, were craved by more women (55%) than any other foods. Comparisons using various anthropometric indicators revealed that women who avoided foods had significantly higher MUAC and TSFT than those who did not (p < .05), whereas there was no difference in nutritional status between women who craved foods and those who did not. However, those craving women who managed to get the desired foods had significantly higher weight gain (p < .05), but not significantly higher MUAC or TSFT, than those who did not. Aversion and craving were positively associated (χ 2 = 10.66, p < .001; odds ratio, 2.36). Thus, women who avoided foods were 2.4 times more likely to crave foods than those who did not avoid foods. This implies that aversion and craving are complementary processes geared towards ensuring optimal nutrition during pregnancy. Aversion results in the avoidance of monotonous diets, whereas craving calls for varied and nutritious foods. More research, however, is needed before such a conclusion is warranted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food Aversions and Cravings during Pregnancy: Prevalence and Significance for Maternal Nutrition in Ethiopia

Demissie¹,

Muroki²,

Kogi-Makau³

1998

Food Nutr Bull

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Fetal Protection

Placek

Hagen

2015

Hum Nat

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Pregnancy involves puzzling aversions to nutritious foods. Although studies generally support the hypotheses that such aversions are evolved mechanisms to protect the fetus from toxins and/or pathogens, other factors, such as resource scarcity and psychological distress, have not been investigated as often. In addition, many studies have focused on populations with high-quality diets and low infectious disease burden, conditions that diverge from the putative evolutionary environment favoring fetal protection mechanisms. This study tests the fetal protection, resource scarcity, and psychological distress hypotheses of food aversions in a resource-constrained population with high infectious disease burden. The role of culture is also explored. In the first of two studies in Tamil Nadu, India, we investigated cultural explanations of pregnancy diet among non-pregnant women (N = 54). In the second study, we conducted structured interviews with pregnant women (N = 94) to determine their cravings and aversions, resource scarcity, indices of pathogen exposure, immune activation, psychological distress, and emic causes of aversions. Study 1 found that fruits were the most commonly reported food that pregnant women should avoid because of their harmful effects on infants. Study 2 found modest support for the fetal protection hypothesis for food aversions. It also found that pregnant women most commonly avoided fruits as well as "black" and "hot" foods. Aversions were primarily acquired through learning and focused on protecting the infant from harm. Our findings provide modest support for the fetal protection hypothesis and surprisingly strong support for the influence of cultural norms and learning on dietary aversions in pregnancy.

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Innate food aversions and culturally transmitted food taboos in pregnant women in rural southwest India: Separate systems to protect the fetus?

Placek

Madhivanan

Hagen

2017

Evolution and Human Behavior

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Pregnancy increases women’s nutritional requirements, yet causes aversions to nutritious foods. Most societies further restrict pregnant women’s diet with food taboos. Pregnancy food aversions are theorized to protect mothers and fetuses from teratogens and pathogens or increase dietary diversity in response to resource scarcity. Tests of these hypotheses have had mixed results, perhaps because many studies are in Westernized populations with reliable access to food and low exposure to pathogens. If pregnancy food aversions are adaptations, however, then they likely evolved in environments with uncertain access to food and high exposure to pathogens. Pregnancy food taboos, on the other hand, have been theorized to limit resource consumption, mark social identity, or also protect mothers and fetuses from dangerous foods. There have been few tests of evolutionary theories of culturally transmitted food taboos. We investigated these and other theories of psychophysiological food aversions and culturally transmitted food taboos among two non-Western populations of pregnant women in Mysore, India, that vary in food insecurity and exposure to infectious disease. The first was a mixed caste rural farming population (N = 72), and the second was the Jenu Kurubas, a resettled population of former hunter-gatherers (N = 30). Women rated their aversions to photos of 31 foods and completed structured interviews that assessed aversions and socially learned avoidances of foods, pathogen exposure, food insecurity, sources of culturally acquired dietary advice, and basic sociodemographic information. Aversions to spicy foods were associated with early trimester and nausea and vomiting, supporting a protective role against plant teratogens. Variation in exposure to pathogens did not explain variation in meat aversions or avoidances, however, raising some doubts about the importance of pathogen avoidance. Aversions to staple foods were common, but were not associated with resource stress, providing mixed support for the role of dietary diversification. Avoided foods outnumbered aversive foods, were believed to be abortifacients or otherwise harmful to the fetus, influenced diet throughout pregnancy, and were largely distinct from aversive foods. These results suggest that aversions target foods with cues of toxicity early in pregnancy, and taboos target suspected abortifacients throughout pregnancy.

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Cultural influences on food cravings and aversions during pregnancy

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

Food Aversions and Cravings during Pregnancy: Prevalence and Significance for Maternal Nutrition in Ethiopia

Food Aversions and Cravings during Pregnancy: Prevalence and Significance for Maternal Nutrition in Ethiopia

Fetal Protection

Innate food aversions and culturally transmitted food taboos in pregnant women in rural southwest India: Separate systems to protect the fetus?

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