Yes, you have heard it here first folks; consumption of vegetables during the pregnancy of women has been linked to various forms of genetic mutation in their offspring. This new information is of course alarming for each and every one of us because of the generalized nature of vegetables, but contrary to popular belief, new studies support this claim.
In a private experiment conducted and led by Dr. Robert Jackson, head of the Biology department at San Jose State University, he examined the pregnancy of several volunteers. Out of the people that volunteered, there were five women who were vegetarians, five women that had a diet consisting of only meat, and five women who consumed both. In this experiment, the volunteers served as the independent variables because Dr. Jackson purposely chose them due to their eating habits. Additionally, the women that made up each of the categories were the controlled group because the sample size was kept the same throughout. Lastly, the results of the experiment would make up the dependent variable.
Over the course of their 9-month pregnancy, Dr. Jackson would closely observe the volunteers to monitor any changes in the well-being of the volunteers during the first, second, and third trimesters. He also made note of any changes that the volunteers reported during this time. A few short months after starting the experiment, he recorded data that explained how each of his patients were feeling. To his surprise, four out of the five vegetarians reported that they felt nauseous, fatigued, and experienced some sort of swelling during this period. On the contrary, none of the volunteers that consumed mainly meat reported any such experiences. As for the volunteers who consumed both, two out of the five volunteers experienced similar symptoms to the vegetarians.
The results of these reports early on raised a few red flags for Dr. Jackson, and he was convinced that his hypothesis was correct. During the second trimester, all of his volunteers reported the exact same experiences from the first which further added to his speculations. Even Dr. Jackson’s volunteers were beginning to become skeptical. Like most, the volunteers thought of vegetables as being a healthy alternative to other foods, but the results so far proved otherwise.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for. Now at the end of the third trimester, it is the month for the volunteers to give birth. One by one, each of the volunteers begin to deliver their babies. Unfortunately, after giving birth, four out of the five vegetarians were told the new that their newborn suffers from a disorder caused by an undetectable genetic mutation they may have conceived during the first trimester. As imagined, this was devastating for these mothers. However, the birth of all five children from that of primarily meat consumers was completely successful. Lastly, the pregnancy of the children’s parents that consumed both turned out successful for all but one.
All in all, this news was very unfortunate for all of the mothers affected. Dr. Jackson was able to conclude that consumption of vegetables during the various stages of pregnancy is in fact linked to genetic mutation. With this new information that has been discovered, all that can be done is avoiding vegetables in future pregnancies.
-Jalen Brown