25 Jan 2018 --- Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant may want to avoid diets that reduce or eliminate carbohydrates, as they could increase the risk of having babies with neural tube birth defects, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Further findings showed that the dietary intake of folic acid – an essential nutrient for pregnant women – among women with a restricted carbohydrate intake was less than half of other women.