Yoga Provides Pregnancy Health Benefits
A recent study suggests that practicing yoga during pregnancy may improve birth weight, reduce preterm labor, and decrease the chances of pregnancy complications overall. The study, led by Dr. Shamanthakamani Narendran in Bangalore and co-authored by Dr. Vivek Narendran of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Ohio, compared 169 pregnant women who practiced yoga with 166 pregnant women receiving only routine prenatal care. Fourteen percent of women who practiced yoga went into preterm labor, as compared to twenty-nine percent of increased cases in the controlled group. Rates of high blood pressure were also decreased in the yoga group. Yoga training involved various loosening exercises, postures, relaxation and breathing exercises and meditation, and was practiced for one hour every day. The report is published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine.
Source: PakTribune.com
May 22, 2007
Apples and Fish may Increase Pregnancy Health
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen have found a link between apple and fish consumption during pregnancy and a reduced risk of asthma and eczema in children. The study followed 2,000 expecting mothers and their pregnancy diets, with follow-up examinations of their children five years later. Pregnant women who ate at least four servings of apples per week were approximately 50% less likely to have children who developed asthma, as compared to mothers who had one apple or less per week. In addition, those who consumed one weekly serving of fish during pregnancy decreased the likelihood of their children developing eczema – an allergic skin disease - by half. While the mechanisms behind these results remain unclear, some attribute these increased health benefits to antioxidants found in apples, and omega 3 fatty acids found in fish.
Source: Newswire Today
May 24, 2007
Alcohol Leads to Extreme Preterm Delivery
A new study led by Robert J. Sokol, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development at Wayne State University, have found that alcohol consumption during pregnancy was linked to an increased risk in extreme, preterm delivery. Extreme prematurity is defined as taking place before 32 weeks gestation and is a major contributor to perinatal sickness and death. Researchers collected data from 3,130 pregnant women and their infants, taking note of delivery dates and the effects of alcohol, cocaine, and cigarettes in relation to preterm labor. Alcohol was the most significant contributor to extreme preterm delivery, followed by preterm labor frequency due to cocaine use. The results are published in the June issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Source: EurekAlert – Washington
