How Important Is It to Drink No Added Sugar Milk During Pregnancy?

When pregnant, it feels like there is a long list of dos and don’ts. The most prevalent of all is about the food you ‘must eat’ and ‘must-not-eat’. Granted, there is an increase in needs when it comes to the types of nutrients when pregnant.

Pregnant women need a higher intake of iron, folate, zinc and iodine, among others, but nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy remain a public health concern¹.

In fact, 9 out of 10 pregnant Malaysian women are not getting sufficient folate, calcium and fibre, nutrients that are crucial to support the pregnancy².

We are very used to the well-known food pyramid, where the guide tells us how much of a certain food we must take to ensure we have enough nutrition in our body. However, Malaysia has a new visual guide called the Malaysia Healthy Plate that uses the ‘quarter-quarter-half’ guide. It means your plate should contain a quarter portion of proteins, a quarter portion of carbohydrates and the other half of the plate should contain fibres (vegetables and fruits).

Protein-rich maternal milk is a good choice for expectant mothers because it is part of balanced diet!

However, there is a sect that advises against drinking maternal milk. Their reason? They believe it is high in sugar. Is it true? And if so, should pregnant mothers avoid maternal milk altogether?

Maternal milk can be taken as part of the balanced diet for both the mum and foetus for the nutrients required. According to the Malaysian Ministry of Health, mums-to-be need to consume about two servings of milk per day unless there are any restrictions or limitations. All nine essential amino acids are required for both mum and foetus for sustenance, growth, and development.

Are All Maternal Milk High in Sugar?

Quick answer – No.

A long-ish answer?

Not all maternal milk is the same. Though there are many kinds of maternal milk in the market that contains added sugars, there is maternal milk in the market that has no added sugars but still contains the goodness a pregnant mum needs for herself and her growing foetus.

Pregnant or not, we know that too much sugar is never good for our body, but how important is it to keep our sugar consumption in check when expecting?

Very!

Here are some benefits you can enjoy when you take control of your sugar intake:

Benefit #1: Reduce the Risk of Getting GDM

High sugars intake during pregnancy was positively associated with the risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)³, a condition in which a hormone made by the placenta prevents the body from using insulin effectively. Glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells⁴.

Currently, the rate of GDM in Malaysia stands at 22.5%—that is one in every five pregnancies!

Therefore, it is important to watch your sugar intake, especially if you are older than 25, not physically active or have a family member suffering from diabetes when you are pregnant.

Benefit #2: Maintain Normal Blood Pressure

We all know that high sugary drink consumption can cause high blood pressure⁵. High blood pressure is then a precursor to preeclampsia—a condition that can happen after the 20th week of pregnancy or right after pregnancy. It can also damage other organ systems, most often the liver and kidneys.

Benefit #3: Staying Fit During Pregnancy

Pregnancy cravings are real, but you can keep fit by tracking what you consume. We don’t mean going on a full-fledged diet, but instead of giving in to what your heart tells you you need to eat, you let your logical brain take over.

Having a small cup of ice cream every day may not be damaging compared to three cups of ice cream because you are craving for it. You can have a little foodie diary to track what you are putting in your mouth and make necessary adjustments when needed to ensure you are not overloading your body with sugar.

If you have a sweet tooth, quench it with whole food options like fresh fruits. And when it comes to getting the nutrients you need, be sure to choose maternal milk with no added sugars.

That way, you can experience a healthy pregnancy glow without gaining excessive weight while staying healthy.

Take Only Maternal Milk with No Added Sugars During Pregnancy

So, we spoke about only drinking maternal milk with no added sugars—but which ones in the market are without those pesky sweeteners?

Aha!

Anmum Materna is the only brand of maternal milk in the market with No Added Sugars**. Study shows that sucrose intake and sugar sweetened beverage during pregnancy is negatively associated with the child’s mid-childhood cognition score⁶. The higher sugar consumed, the lower non-verbal intelligence score. This may then adversely impact the child’s memory and learning.

As a side note, Anmum Materna was also awarded The First-Choice Pregnancy Formulated Milk in Motherhood Choice Awards 2021, as voted by 10,000 mothers.

Maternal milk also provides expectant mothers with the nutrition they need during this time. Two glasses of Anmum Materna daily supports 100% of your pregnancy nutrition needs like folic acid, calcium, zinc, vitamin B₂ and vitamin E.

Check out the table below to see the nutrients Anmum Materna offers compared to regular milk.

Not only is Anmum Materna specially formulated with No Added Sugars**, but it is also low fat and clinically tested to have a low Glycemic Index (GI) value—23 for plain and 26 for chocolate variant.

Low GI foods are encouraged to be taken because the body digests them for longer before they can be absorbed. This causes a slower rise in your blood sugar levels.

Anmum Materna is also packed with key nutrients such as MFGM-Gangliosides and DHA. MFGM-Gangliosides are crucial during pregnancy as Gangliosides accretion into the foetal brain is highest during the third trimester and is found abundantly in the brain⁷.

Get Anmum Materna Today!

In simple words, Anmum Materna helps you to support what pregnancy throws at you. All you need to do is drink two glasses of Anmum Materna as part of a balanced diet, coupled with regular exercise.

Get your Anmum Materna samples at their official website or a trial pack from Lotus’s.

Disclaimers:
**Sucrose, Glucose Syrup Solid, Corn Syrup Solid, Brown Sugar, Dextrose, Lactose, Fructose, Honey and White Sugar are defined as ‘sugars’ and ‘added sugars’ under CODEX Standard 212-1999 and CAC/GL23-1997. CODEX develops harmonised international food standards guidelines and code of practices. Under Malaysia Food Regulations 1985, Sucrose, Brown Sugar, Dextrose, Glucose, Fructose, Honey are defined as sweetening substances. For Anmum^TM MATERNA Plain only. Chocolate flavour is less sweet.

References

¹Mousa, A., Naqash, A., & Lim, S. (2019, February 20). Macronutrient and micronutrient intake during pregnancy: An overview of recent evidence. Nutrients. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6413112/

²Murugesan, M. (2021, August 30). Right nutrients for a healthy pregnancy: New straits times. NST Online. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/heal/2021/08/715474/right-nutrients-healthy-pregnancy/

³Casas, R., Castro Barquero, S., & Estruch, R. (2020). Impact of Sugary Food Consumption on Pregnancy: A Review. Nutrients, 12(11), 3574. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113574

⁴Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). (2022, March 20). Johns Hopkins Medicine. hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/diabetes/gestational-diabetes#:~:text=Gestational%20diabetes%20mellitus%20(GDM)%20is,being%20absorbed%20by%20the%20cells.

⁵Barbosa, J., Silva, A., Kac, G., Simões, V., Bettiol, H., Cavalli, R. C., Barbieri, M. A., & Ribeiro, C. (2021). Is soft drink consumption associated with gestational hypertension? Results from the BRISA cohort. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 54(1), e10162. https://doi.org/10.1590/1414-431X202010162

⁶Cohen, J., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Young, J., & Oken, E. (2018). Associations of Prenatal and Child Sugar Intake With Child Cognition. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6), 727–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.02.020

⁷McJarrow, P., Schnell, N., Jumpsen, J., & Clandinin, T. (2009). Influence of dietary gangliosides on neonatal brain development. Nutrition Reviews, 67(8), 451–463. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00211.x