Eating fries during pregnancy "is as harmful as smoking"

Eating fries during pregnancy "is as harmful as smoking"

This food contains a chemical called acrylamide, which can cause the baby to be born with low birth weight, according to a study.

For the study looked at 1,100 pregnant women. (AP)

Eating fries or chips away bagged during pregnancy can be as harmful to the fetus as smoking. It can cause the baby to be born with low birth weight, a new study contends.

According to the researchers, these foods contain high levels of a chemical called acrylamide, which also can limit the growth of the fetal brain.

"The effect of high levels of acrylamide exposure is comparable to the known adverse effect of smoking on the weight of the baby," he said, according to the website Medical Daily, Professor Manolis Kogevinas, the study coordinator.

The research, which analyzed 1100 pregnant women, was conducted by the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Spain, Stockholm University and 20 other institutions.

The study concluded that a high intake of acrylamide produces babies that weigh around 132 grams and measuring less than 0.33 inches shorter.