Eating Fish Good for Babies’ Brains
Researchers in the U.S. and the U.K. have conducted a study showing that mothers who consumed fish several times a week while pregnant give birth to babies that score higher on mental and social skills tests. To conduct the study, the scientists sent questionnaires periodically to 11,875 pregnant women who had due dates ranging from April 1991 to December 1992. The questionnaires contained questions regarding their diet during pregnancy and their children’s development up until 8 years of age. The findings contradict pervious ones warning against the possible effects of too much fish during pregnancy. Dr Joseph Hibbeln of the US National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, led the study: “For the baby's development, at the level of 12 ounces (equivalent to 3 servings) a week during pregnancy, the beneficial effects of the nutrients in fish far outweigh the risk.” The study did not, however, give any indication as to why fish would be so beneficial, although the researchers speculated it most likely has something to do with the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that fish carries. Omega-3 fatty acids are also present in other foods such as hemp seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, kiwi fruit and eggs from chickens whose diet includes greens and insects. Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
February 14, 2007
C-Section Need to be Carefully Considered
Compared with women who have a planned vaginal delivery, women who give birth via a planned cesarean section are three times more likely to have complications, according to a Canadian study. Researchers followed women who had given birth in that country between 1991 and 2005. Of the more than 2.3 million women followed for the study, over 45,000 gave birth via a non-urgent cesarean section, with the rest giving birth vaginally. In the cesarean group, the risk of severe complications was 27.3 per 1,000 deliveries compared with 9 per 1,000 in the vaginal delivery group. Excluding the case of breech babies, the authors of the study warned that cesarean section may not be the safest method of labor. In Canada, the rate of cesarean birth has increased from 5.2% in 1969 to 25.6% in 2003. Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
February 12, 2007
New Finding Could Detect Heart Failure Early On
A new study published in Cell has revealed that scientists may be closer than ever to detecting a rare but potentially fatal form of heart failure that can affect women late in pregnant or shortly after childbirth. They have termed the condition responsible “postpartum cardiomyopathy” or PPCM, which they say affects between 1,300 and 4,000 American pregnant women each year, and is among the leading causes of death for women who have had children in the developed world. In their research the scientists involved found that mice whose hearts lacked a certain gene were more prone to develop PPCM. However, they also found that mice who were administered a prolactic-blocking drug were more likely to have the condition reversed. “Nobody knew why women develop this,” said Helmut Drexler of Medizinische Hochschule in Hannover, Germany. “We've identified a mechanism and, more importantly, based on our findings, a potentially very effective means to prevent the disease.” Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
