A mother’s nutrition during the first month of pregnancy may be critical in determining a child’s risk of developing Down syndrome (DS), according to a recent study. In particular, researchers found that an adequate intake of iron and folic acid can significantly...
pregnancy
Moms-to-Be: Vitamin linked to healthy birth weight
Mothers-to-be with lower levels of the vitamin folic acid in their body during early pregnancy are more likely to have babies with lower, or less healthy, birth weights, a study has revealed. Conversely, researchers, who examined nearly 1,000 women and their newborn...
Stop Nausea Now! Ginger helps with morning sickness
New research from South Australia has shown that there is more than hearsay to the notion that ginger helps to stop nausea in pregnancy. A randomized controlled trial of ginger as a treatment for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy has found that a dose of 1.05 gm of...
Cod liver oil for kids: more benefits
Our parents and grandparents often claim to know what’s best for us. In the case of cod liver oil, it turns out they were right! Recent studies show that giving kids this traditional remedy (and supplementing with it while pregnant) can help reduce the risk of a child...
Ginger, B-6 two options for nausea
New research from South Australia has shown that there is more than hearsay to the notion that ginger helps to stop nausea in pregnancy. A recent trial of ginger as a treatment for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy has found that a dose of 1g of ginger a day does...
Prenatal vitamins strongly urged
Many pregnant women lack iron, magnesium and other important nutrients, according to researchers at the University of Florida. The researchers set out to determine whether nutrient intake from food alone was adequate across three trimesters. In this study, 63 low-risk...
Birth defect risk: beyond folic acid
Women are frequently reminded that folic acid helps decrease the risk of birth defects. While this is proven true in many studies, researchers at the University Medical Center in the Netherlands did two studies that showed other nutrients may also play a role in...
Rickets Resurgence? Doctors call for vitamin D supplementation
Authors of an article in the Lancet highlight how rickets - often considered a disease of the past - is still a global public-health problem today. The authors propose the use of vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women and among children up to the age of puberty...
Vitamin C aids women with fertility disorder, study finds
Women with luteal phase defect, who are at an increased risk of recurrent miscarriages, may be helped by supplementing with vitamin C, according to researchers. Luteal phase defect is marked by insufficient progesterone levels during the luteal phase, the time between...
Vitamin Prevents Cancer: Folic acid lowers childhood cancer incidence
A research team at The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) and the University of Toronto (U of T) has shown that folic acid food fortification has resulted in a 60% reduction in the incidence of neuroblastoma, a deadly childhood cancer. “Our research indicates that this...