Several studies have proposed the benefit of a diet rich in fruit and/or vegetables in the prevention of premature birth. Now, researchers have identified Solanum nigum as a vegetable that pregnant women can eat to lower the risk of giving birth before their pregnancy reaches full term.
In a study, researchers found Solanum nigum can significantly inhibit contractions of the wombs in non-pregnant rats under laboratory conditions in a dose-dependent fashion.
Wister albino rats were used for the study over a period of two weeks. The effect of water extracts of fresh leaves of Solanum nigrun was compared in oxytocin and Acetylcholine-induced contractions. The oxytocin-induced contraction was significantly inhibited by the extract at 200 mg/ml and at 300 mg/ml doses respectively.
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Also, the inhibitory effect of the extract was significantly stronger compared with acetylcholine-induced contractions. Acetylcholine is a conventional drug that aids contraction of the womb during childbirth.
The extract of Solanum nigrun, the researchers suggested, can thus be synthesized and analyzed therapeutically to establish a safe dose for the management of preterm contraction in pregnant women.
The study in the May 2017 edition of the Ethiopian Journal of Health Science entitled “Effect of Solanum Nigrun on Uterus of Non-gravid Rats” involved Freddy O Agoreyo; Rita Ohimai and Magdalene I Omigie.
Solanum nigrum, which is commonly called Black nightshade or efo odu in Yoruba, is usually consumed as cooked and to complement the major staple foods like cassava and yam.
The nutrient contents of the vegetable serve as supplements for food and also have the potential to improve the health status of its users as a result of the presence of various compounds vital for good health.
Studies have reported the potential health benefits of different parts of this vegetable. Juice extracted from the leaves of Black nightshade has been reportedly used in folklore for the treatment of the Parkinson’s disease, memory impairment, angina, cancerous tumour, and inflammation among others.
Its leaves have also been reportedly used in traditional medicine for the management of several diseases, including seizure and epilepsy, pain, ulcer, inflammation and diarrhoea, some eye infections, and jaundice.
Preterm delivery, defined as giving birth between 22 and 37 weeks of pregnancy, is linked with short- and long-term health problems in children and accounts for nearly 75 per cent of all newborn deaths.
These treatments are not a guarantee to stop preterm labour, but they may help ensure the pregnancy stays longer. Premature babies often need additional care after birth.
They sometimes have long-term health problems that can affect their entire lives. The earlier in pregnancy a baby is born, the more likely they are to have complications, the most serious of which is not being able to breathe on their own.
Previously, researchers had evidence that shows that a mother’s dietary habits can directly affect her unborn child. They suggested in 2014 publication of the British Medical Journal that pregnant women who eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and who drink water have a significantly reduced risk of preterm delivery.
Although these findings cannot establish causality, they support dietary advice to pregnant women to eat a balanced diet including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish and drink water.
Using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, they analyzed preterm births among 66,000 women between 2002 and 2008.
The participants included women that were free of diabetes, have delivered a live single baby and completed a validated food frequency questionnaire on dietary habits during the first four to five months of pregnancy.
After adjusting for several confounding factors, the team found that overall balanced diet including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish was associated with a significantly reduced risk of preterm delivery, especially among women having their first baby, as well as spontaneous and late preterm delivery.
Moreover, researchers studied the garlic, onion, and dried fruits intake of nearly 19,000 pregnant women and observed a reduced risk of spontaneous preterm delivery related to groups of garlic and onion family vegetables and dried fruits.
In particular, garlic stood out for the vegetables and raisins stood out for the dried fruits. Both were associated with a reduced risk of both preterm delivery and preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes, which means the amniotic water breaking prematurely.
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