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...
pregnancy
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...
Pregnant Pause: Study suggests caution with ginseng use while pregnant
Researchers from Hong Kong have warned that women should be cautious about using the herbal remedy ginseng in the early stages of pregnancy after a study found abnormalities in rat embryos. They found that embryos exposed to more than 30 micrograms per millilitre of...
Avoiding Pregnancy Blues: Experts advise more omega-3
A woman’s risk for depression is higher during pregnancy, but this risk may be lowered by ensuring an adequate intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids, report researchers. Omega-3s are found in cold water fish, such as salmon and mackerel, as well as flax seeds....
Folic Acid and Childhood Cancer: Study finds B-vitamin protective against leukemia
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research have shown that there may be a link between levels of folic acid available to the baby in the womb and leukemia in children. Women are already advised to take supplements of folic acid while trying to conceive and...