Mom's vitamin D during pregnancy strengthens kid's teeth says researchers from University of Manitoba, Canada. "This study shows for the first time that maternal vitamin-D levels may have an influence on the primary dentition and the development of early-childhood-caries," wrote Robert Schroth. Vitamin D is produced in the body on exposure to sunlight. but only 15 minutes a day for light skinned peole and 45 minuts for dark skinned people is enough. Excessive sun exposure can cause skin cancer. And with dietary sources of vitamin D providing relatively low doses of vitamin D experts are recommending supplements. Healthy Baby prenatal AM and PM taken together offers more vitamin D than other prenatals.07/10/08

July means full on summer and time to enjoy all of what summer gives us; a more relaxing shcedule for de-stressing, a little sunshine for some very important vitamin D, summer fruits like berries and peaches, nectarines and melons (full of vitamins, meinerals, anti-oxidants, phyto-nutrients), refreshing salads. As berries and peaches are more likely to absorb pesticies, make sure to only buy orgainc ones. But don't forget to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
Dehydration is a major casue of premature delivery. Be careful with bottled water, and do not drink out of a plastic bottle that has been in a hot car or reuse plastic bottles as bisphenols (BPA) can leach into the water. although by taking your Folate in your prenatal vitamins you can prevent toxic effects of bisphenols.

DHA improves children's brain power, according to a Martek BioScience study. Docosahexaenoid acid (DHA) (fish oil) intake of 400 mg a day can increase mental capacity in pre-school children. We already know DHA are the building blocks of the brain and is vital during pregnancy and infancy, but this study extends that benefit through childhood. DHA is also linked to better heart, eye and skin health, like eczema. Unfortunately most American children consume less than 30 mg of DHA a day. 06/30/08

SIDS linked to Brain Chemical Dysfunction. Italian researches found in an unrelated serotonin study on mice that a malfunction in the regulation of the brain chemcal serotonin could be the cause of SIDS. Serotonin is a chemcial that helps the brain communicate with nerve cells and the spinal cord and is important for heart rate, breathing and temperature regulation etc...Serotonin is affected by ones diet, nutirtional intake, DHA, exercise habits, and babies can be affected by stomach sleeping and over-bundling or over heating. 07/03/08

June is Nutrition Awareness Month and this week is National Men's Health Week.
With Father's Day here, it's important to remember that dad's health habits are also very important when trying to conceive. Bad lifestyle habits and choices can make a big difference on a potential dad's sperm quantity and quality. Everything from nutrition, exercise (or lack of it) or type of exercise (excessive bicycling reduces sperm count), cell phone use, and past or present drug use or abuse, and chemical exposures can all have an impact on fertility and the future health of a baby. Go to www.menshealthweek.org for more info.




Vitamin D supplementation needed during nursing.
Further studies published by the AMA are implicating that 40% of 8-24 month old
infants do not have adequate Vitamin D levels, which can cause rickets. Nursing
moms needs to supplement with extra vitamin D and make sure that both mom
and baby gets their minimum of 15 minutes of sunshine every day (without
sunscreen lotions) to improve vitamin D levels.

Trans fats consumption during nursing harms baby as well as mom.
The Journal of Nutrition published a study showing that lactating rats fed a trans fats had off spring with decreased heart function for glucose transportation and insulin sensitivities. Trans fats are used mostly in processed foods by the food industry for extended shelf life and flavor stability. But Trans fats do tremendous harm in raising LDL cholesterol (bad guys) and reducing the HDL cholesterol (good guys), which can lead to cardiovascular disease. it can also lead to metabolic syndrome and type-2 diabetes. Avoid processed foods, margarines, nut butters without oil on top etc..

Artificial colors linked to ADHD.
Just as in Europe, the FDA here in the states is finally being urged to ban
artificial
food colors that are linked to hyperactivity. A UK study published in the Lancet
concluded that different artificial colors, and the preservative sodium benzoate
bring on ADHD in children. The colors implicated are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1,
green 3, orange B, red 3, and yellow 6.

MAY is all about MOM & HEALTH!

• Pregnancy Awareness Month
• Mothers Day
• National Women's Health Week
• National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
• Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
• 9-15 Children's Mental Health Week
• 16-22 National Running and Fitness Week

Chocolate 'may prevent preeclampsia' according to new US research.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is rich in a chemical called theobromine, which stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscle and dilates blood vessels, and has been used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries.

Preeclampsia, in which blood pressure spikes during pregnancy while excess protein is released into the urine, has many features in common with heart disease.

Yale University looked at 2,291 women who delivered a single infant, and asked them about their chocolate consumption and tested levels of theobromine in infants' umbilical cord blood.

Women who consumed the most chocolate (five or more servings) and those whose infants had the highest concentration of theobromine in their cord blood were the least likely to develop preeclampsia. 69 percent were less likely to develop the complication than those in the lowest quarter.

Theobromine could improve circulation within the placenta while blocking oxidative stress, or it could also be a stand-in for other beneficial chemicals found in chocolate, Triche and her team note in the May issue of Epidemiology.

Previous reports have also shown that babies born to moms who ate chocolate were “happier” than other kids.

This could be due to flavinoids improving blood flow and hormones.

Higher Vitamin D intake requested.

Authors of a study from Children’s Hospital and Research Center argue for higher vitamin D supplementation, particularly among pregnant women, nursing infants, elderly and African Americans. They call for increases in current recommendations of 200IU’s for children and 800-1000 IU’s of Vitamin D# for adults. * Vitamin D is manufactured by the body on exposure to sunlight which is compromised in northern climates and by excessive use of sun block creams. Some D can be found in low quantities in foods. In adults a D deficiency may increase osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, cancer, autoimmune, infectious, and cardiovascular diseases. In children a deficiency can cause cognitive and behavioral problems. Vitamin D affects proteins in the brain involved in learning and memory, motor control and even maternal and social behavior. The disease rickets has also been on an increase in infants due to a lack of Vitamin D. Caucasian fair skinned people need 15 minutes of sunlight a day and darker skinned people may need up to 40 minutes a day.

* The Healthy Baby Prenatal vitamins AM & PM formula contain 550 IU’s of Vitamin D3. Other prenatal multivitamins contain about 400 IU’s of D. www.healthybabyvitamins.com or www.expectingfitness.com

Can a mom’s diet control the sex of a baby?

From the University of Exeter and Oxford comes a study theorizing that a mom’s diet could influence the sex of her child as the moms who had eaten the most calories seemed to be more likely to have boys. 56% of women with the highest intake had boys and only 46% did with the lowest caloric intake.

Animal studies have also shown more girls being born in leaner times. Other studies show moms nursing boys longer than girls. The researchers do reiterate that “sperm” does determine the sex of the baby – not food.

The diet theory of more calories controlling the sex outcome doesn’t quite work. The facts are:

1/ boy sperm are faster but weaker than girl sperm and will get to the egg quicker. If it’s there, if not the boy sperm will die off,

2/ girl sperm being slower but stronger will get to the egg if ovulation is later than the arrival of the boy sperm. This is the only way how a woman with a very “regular cycle” can time intercourse to control the sex of her baby with 87% accuracy.

3/ more boys are conceived than girls (faster sperm), but more girls are born and survive the first year (stronger sperm). Hence there are more women in the world than men.

You would then have to theorize that boys may need more nutrition to survive than the “sturdier” girls that can handle “leaner” situations better. This could be a “Mother Nature’s” “evolutionary design to facilitate more women being born in leaner “famine” times for better survival of the human race. Women are the ones with the womb. Developing countries proportion of boys is also found to be dropping.

So it is not that eating more will enhance your chances of having a boy, it is more likely that eating more will enhance your chances of a boy fertilized egg surviving conception and pregnancy.

Vaccinations and Neurological Disorders.

A private independent study, produced by Survey USA*, unlike those by pharmaceutical corporations, has shown dramatic links between neurological disorders and vaccinations. The study looked at 29,491 children from California and Oregon, 991 of whom had never been vaccinated. Results showed that twice the number of vaccinated children had autism and the rates of many other neurological disorders were much worse. The rates were for vaccinated boys 155% more neurological disorders than unvaccinated boys, 224% more ADHA, 61% more autism. In boys aged 11-17 the rates were 158% more neurological disorders, 317% more ADHA, and 112% more autism and in all boys and girls there was a 120% increase in asthma than in unvaccinated kids.

*Survey USA has among its clients most pharmaceutical companies, but were able to provide an unbiased study for less than $200,000 that the CDC with an $8 billion budget have been unwilling/unable to do. It was financed by Generation Rescue, a group of families with autistic children.

The America Medical Association also has not been able to show that vaccinations has saved any lives nor increased longevity. The biggest problem seems to be with multiple vaccinations given at the same time. Maybe it’s time we started questioning if not the validity of many vaccinations but at least spreading vaccinations out over time and only giving one at a time, to reduce toxicity. Also discuss with caregivers which if any vaccinations can be eliminated. Growing up in Europe in the 70’s when moms pushed you toward any kid with measles etc… so that you would ensure getting all of the childhood diseases you were “supposed to get”, as a means of “Immunizing” yourself, makes more sense. Personally, I had all diseases except chicken pox that all 14 year old females were mandatorily (by the state) vaccinated from if they hadn’t had it, to prevent any future possible birth defect should the disease be acquired during a pregnancy.

Prenatal vitamins, omegas, pomegranate & bad formula.

B Vitamins & Pregnancy. Low Vitamin B12 levels together with certain genes poses a higher risk of heart problems for the infant. A new Dutch study is advicing women to consume a diet richer in B12 and to take supplements high in B12 and Folate and other B vitamins before concieveing to help influence the health off babies. The University of Texas found that Folate supplementation for a a year pre-preganncy reduced "very early preterm " delivery (20-28 weeks) by 70% and "early preterm" delivery (28-32 weeks) by 50%. High preconceptional levels of vitamin B6 also boost fertility rates. Moms with lower vitamin B levels preconception seems to deliver fatter boys with a higher rate of high blood pressure. 2/1/08

Omega fatty acids and mental health. The UK government is now boosting funding for Omega reserach and how it relates to brain health, as more studes are showing improved behaviour, reduced depression, violent behaviour, schizophrenia etc..especially during and after pregnancy. But there seems to be a misunderstanding of the correlation of improving the Omega-3 to omega - 6 levels for optimal mental health that needs more research. 2/12/08

Pomegranate Juice and Male fertility. A Universtiy of Turkey study found that regualr consumption of pomegranate juice enhances the motility and quality of sperm. The anti-oxidant rich fruit is also linked to heart health, and protects against prostate cancer, Alzheimers and cartilage loss. 3/1/08

DHA fortified Infant formula danger. The Cornucopia Institute recently publsihed a scathing report on the dangers of infant formulas fortified with DHA & ARA omega fatty acids. Normally these omega-3 and 6 fatty acids are vital for the health, growth and development of an infant baby. HOwever, what is present in human breast milk is one thing, the synthteticly manufactured oils added to infant formula are quite different. The DHA?ARA oils are extracted from laboratury grown fermetned algea and fungus and processed with the toxic chemical "hexane" (a highly explosive petrolium by-product of gasoline refining similiar in it's make-up to benzene - a well known carcinogen and listed by OSHA adn the EPA has hazardous causing neurological damage, birth defects, ADHD, reduced IQ and mental deficiencies). They are marketed as, but are far from "close to breast milk". Yet marketing efforts have paid off by making more and more women believe that they are. Breast milk is of course always best as formula increases risk of infections, bacterisa, diarrhea, SIDS, diabetes, cancer, obesity and asthma, as well as increasing moms diabetes and postpartum depression. But these fortified oils are increasing SIDS,diarrhea, jaundice gas etc.. more so. The study showed that babies do better on regualr formula than on the DHA/ARA ffortified formula. January 08

17 month old toddler can read

Seeing little Elizabeth Barrett 17 months old read words on the Today Show is an amazing sight. But seeing what a fit and healthy looking mother she has, i can't help but wonder if her mom worked out while pregnant with her. Prenatal fitness has show in medical research to improve a child's reading skills and IQ, and perhaps with her parents skills in speech pathology and watching sign language videos, she has been given the perfect combination and environment to quickly learn how to read at such a young age. I have many questions I'd love to ask Katy Barrett. Just incredible.

Fit Moms Make Fit Babies

Fit Moms make Fit Babies. At a recent prenatal fitness conference by Strollerstrides in San Diego CA, James F. Clapp III MD, Emeritus Professor of Reproductive Biology at Case Western Reserve University, and Research Professor of OB/GYN at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, spoke of his research on prenatal fitness. Some still unpublished studies. His conclsuion is that -"Exercise in pregnancy augments the woman's body for fetal and maternal protection." Exercise volume matters. The more a pregnant woman is able to exercise the better off she and her baby will be in the long term. Higher volume (HV)and intensity exercise ( Cardiovascular and weight training exercise for 3+ workouts a week for 40+ minutes duration) produce more and longer term benefits than low volume (LV) exercise (yoga, swimming,..) and moms who quit exercising half way through a pregnancy will have no benefits and may be worse off weight wise, than if she didn't exercise at all. Maternal Benefits: HV exercise reduces back aches, depression, weight gain, fat deposting, edema, injuries, obstetrical complications, labor time, medical intervention (forceps/vacume ), C-section rates (by 75%), recovery time, moreso than LV exercise. HV exercise reduces weight gain and fat depositing than non-exercisers, but LV exercise doesn't. There is a substatintial reduction in pregnancy depression and postpartum depression for those moms that continue to exercise immediatly post baby. Dr. Clapp found that depression sores from Obstetrical complications, and that exercise reduces obstetrical complications, thus reducing the likelyhood of postpartum depression. @ 1-5 years after baby, the HV exercising moms had much lower bodyfat, rates of incontinence, muscle pain, and no diastasis (abdominal separation) and higher Cardiovascular fitness levels than non exercisers. The LV exercising moms had most benefits but retained a much higher body fat percentage. @18-20 years post baby, the HV exercising moms again fared much better than LV or non-exercising moms. Baby Benefits: Fit moms have no increase in misscarriage, ectopic, twin pregnancy, still birth, congenital malformations, or placental abruptions. "Fit Babies" have less fetal distress, meconium, cord entanglements, abnormalities and better Apgar scores at birth. Fit babies are of normal growth, with a leaner body mass (less fat), more relaxed, with better neurological development, environmental orientation and self regulating, This means, a happier, calmer baby that sleeps better at night. However, a babies morphometrics can be "molded" with exercise and diet. @ 5 years, the fit children have normal growth, neurological development, academic and motor skills, blood pressure and body weight, but an increased IQ, verbal skills. @17-19 years, the fit children have average to super academic performance, are super athletes, with normal growth, insuline levels, low body fat and blood pressure. In Addition, even though you may not lie still on your back, it is fine to exercise on your back during pregnancy, and exercie should be resumed no later than 2-3 weeks postpartum. Nov. 6, 2006