According to a new research involving various earlier studies, pregnant women can safely diet without posing any risk to the baby.

The review of a series of researchers concluded that dieting for pregnant women' is safe and it does not have any risk for the baby. The review studied findings of 44 previous studies involving more than 7,000 women and found that the dieting helps women put on excess weight and also reduced the chances of complications. At present, the health guidelines in the UK do not advocate dieting or weight monitoring for pregnant women.

An advisory from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which was published in 2012, read, "Dieting during pregnancy is not recommended as it may harm the health of the unborn child."

The women are recommended to reach a healthy weight before conceiving.

High weight during pregnancy is linked to complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes and high blood pressure as well as early delivery. In the US and Europe, between 20 and 40 per cent of the women gain more than recommended weight during their pregnancies. The review compared diet, exercise or a combination of the two for the women and advises limiting calorie intake, having a balanced diet and eating healthy foods.

The British Medical Journal review was funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR).