Exercise during pregnancy reduces risk of a Caesarean birth

Women who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to require a Caesarean birth, say scientists. A brisk walk three times a week halves the risk of having a heavy infant - one of the main causes of the emergency surgery. C-sections have been linked with babies becoming obese in childhood, being more prone to infections and asthma and developing diabetes. A study of 510 sedentary expectant mothers who exercised for less than 20 minutes on only two days of the week or fewer found those given a training programme reduced their chances of giving birth to a baby weighing over 4 kilos by 58 percent. And the number of expected Caesarean deliveries fell by 34 per cent, according to the findings published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Both are risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus - a condition in which previously healthy mothers develop glucose intolerance while they are pregnant. Dr Jonatan Ruiz, of Granada University in Spain, said: 'The findings reinforce the need to encourage more supervised exercise interventions during pregnancy to combat the negative effects of gestational diabetes mellitus.' The intervention group followed 55 minute sessions of aerobic, muscle strength and flexibility exercises on three days a week during the last six months of pregnancy while the others received standard care. Previous studies have shown babies delivered by Caesarean miss out on protective bugs that could help prevent a host of disorders in childhood and later life. C-sections now constitute about 25 per cent of births in England and Wales or over 190,000 a year - more than double the proportion in 1980. It's believed surgical babies may be missing out on physiological changes that happen during labour including exposure to bugs which are necessary for the immune system to mature. Women who are overweight or obese are more likely to end up having surgery when giving birth - and the rise in these deliveries coincides with the obesity epidemic. Obese women are at risk for pregnancy-related complications including hypertension, gestational diabetes and blood clots - all of which can lead to a recommendation for caesarean delivery. Article: 17th July 2013 www.dailymail.co.uk

Pregnant women who take Iron have bigger and healthier babies

Pregnant women who take a daily iron supplement give birth to bigger and healthier babies, according to a new study. Researchers found taking iron during pregnancy is associated with a significant increase in birth weight, and a reduction in risk of low birth weight. The effects were seen for iron doses up to 66mg per day. The World Health Organisation currently recommends a dose of 60mg per day for pregnant women. Iron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional deficiency in the world. It is the most common cause of anaemia during pregnancy, especially in low and middle income countries, affecting an estimated 32 million pregnant women globally. Studies suggest an association between prenatal anaemia and risk of premature birth, but evidence on other birth outcomes is inconsistent. Researchers in Britain and the U.S. analysed the results of more than 90 studies of prenatal iron use and prenatal anaemia, involving nearly two million women. They found that iron use increased a mother's average haemoglobin levels and significantly reduced the risk of anaemia. There was no reduction in risk of premature birth as a result of iron use. However, further analysis showed a significantly higher risk of low birth weight and premature birth with anaemia in the first or second trimester of pregnancy. Further analysis indicated that for every 10mg increase in iron dose per day risk of maternal anaemia was 12 per cent lower, birth weight increased by 15g, and risk of low birth weight decreased by three per cent. The researchers said: ‘Our findings suggest that use of iron in women during pregnancy may be used as a preventive strategy to improve maternal haematological status and birth weight.’ They called for ‘rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of existing antenatal care programmes in high burden countries to identify gaps in policy and programme implementation’. And they said future studies should explore ‘feasible strategies of iron delivery’, as well as ‘evaluation of the effectiveness of other strategies, such as fortification and dietary diversification’. Top 10 Foods which are high in Iron: 1) Mussels, Oysters, Shrimp 2) Liver 3) Squash and Pumpkin seeds 4) Nuts (Cashew, Hazelnut, Peanut) 5) Beef and Lamb 6) Beans and Pulses 7) Whole Grain and Bran 8) Spinach 9) Dark Chocolate 10)Tofu Article: 21st June 2013 www.dailymail.co.uk

Dieting during pregnancy may cause obesity in children study reveals

Women who diet during pregnancy are more likely to have a child that could become obese or diabetic in later life, a study suggests. Researchers found in a study on sheep that giving ewes less food at the time of conception caused DNA changes in the brains of their young.
The University of Manchester scientists suspect the findings may hold true for humans as well and could explain why twins are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes in adulthood.

The study investigated twin pregnancies in sheep as well the pregnancies of ewes that received less food around the time the lamb was conceived. The researchers then looked at tissues from the brains of the unborn lambs to see if there were changes in the structure of the DNA.

Study leader Anne White said: 'We found that unborn twin lambs had changes in the structure of DNA in the region of the brain that regulates food intake and glucose that resulted in an increased chance of diabetes in adulthood.

'Our findings provide a reason why twins are more likely to get diabetes but we have also shown that mothers who don’t have enough food around the time of conception may have a child who grows up with an increased risk of obesity.'

The researchers believe their findings are relevant to humans as they reveal a non-genetic, or ‘epigenetic’, way in which the DNA of offspring can be altered.

Professor White added: 'Our study is important because it shows that factors in the brain can be altered by non-hereditary mechanisms and this results in changes in the body, which could make people obese.

'The findings may provide a new understanding of why twins can develop diabetes and also suggests that dieting around the time a baby is conceived may increase the chance of the child becoming obese later in life.'

More and more people are becoming obese and getting diabetes, while rates of twins are steadily increasing as women have babies at older ages and rates of conception using artificial reproductive technologies increase.

Dieting in young women is also very common and can occur in women who may not know they are pregnant. The team’s findings in sheep, if replicated in humans, suggest that obesity and diabetes could be more likely in twins and in children from mothers who aren’t eating properly, or dieting, around the time of conception.

Researchers say it could affect the advice giving to women who are planning a family to reduce future health risks for their children. The study was published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Article: 3rd April 2012 www.dailymail.co.uk

Pregnant women may be putting baby at risk by using mobile phones

Pregnant women who use mobile phones may be putting their babies at risk of developing behavioural problems, scientists have warned.
Researchers from Yale University found exposure to radiation from mobiles during pregnancy affects the brain development of offspring, potentially leading to greater activity, anxiety and poor memory.

They concluded mobiles could have a negative effect on babies in the womb after studying pregnant mice. However, a group of British scientists have poured scorn on the study labeling it 'alarmist and unjustified.'

They pointed out that the unborn mice would have received a dose of radiation that was proportionally far higher than an unborn baby would get. They added that while the whole bodies of the mice were exposed a pregnant woman would tend to hold their phone a metre away from their uterus.

The experts, from the University College of London, among others, added that a comparison is impossible between rodents and humans because mice are born after just 19 days with a brain that's at a far earlier stage of development compared to human babies.

The introduction of the Yale study, published in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports, focuses on the rising number of ADHD cases in children, implying it could be linked to their research in mice.

ADHD is a development disorder characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Between three and seven per cent of school-age children suffer from the disorder. Affected children tend to perform poorly at school and are at increased risk of delinquency.

Diagnosis has increased at an average rate of three per year since 1997, making the condition 'a growing public concern,' according to the scientists. The researchers measured the brain electrical activity of adult mice that were exposed to radiation as foetuses and conducted a series of psychological and behavioural tests.

They found that the mice that were exposed to radiation tended to be more hyperactive and had increased anxiety and reduced memory capacity. Senior author Professor Hugh Taylor said: 'We have shown that behavioural problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by mobile phone exposure in the womb.

'The rise in behavioural disorders in human children may be in part due to foetal cellular telephone irradiation exposure.' In the study the authors concluded human tests would be needed before 'extrapolating these behavioural findings to humans.' But Prof Taylor, who is a member of EHHI - an organisation 'dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms through research' - added that limiting a foetus' exposure to mobile phone radiation seemed warranted.

However, Professor Jim Stevenson from the University of Southampton denounced the study as 'irresponsible.' He told the UK charitable trust, Sense about Science: 'There is to date only little evidence of an association,' adding that no evidence from the latest mouse study supported the conjecture.

Professor Katya Rubia, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, added that the link made between mice and humans was 'alarmist and unjustified.'

She said the fact the exposed mice in the study were more active could not be translated to complex disorders such as ADHD. She pointed out that anxiety levels decreased in exposed mice whereas it is typically higher in children with ADHD. Professor Eric Taylor from King's College London said the rate of ADHD problems has actually been steady for more than 20 years and any increase is most probably due to greater recognition of the disorder.

A spokesman from the Health Protection Agency, told Mail Online: 'There is no hard scientific evidence that radio signals from mobile phones pose a risk to public health providing they are within ICNIRP (international body) guidelines.

'Very many studies into the effects of radio waves on health have been published over the past several decades. The authors of this study acknowledge themselves that their work had certain limitations. 'The Health Protection Agency constantly monitors and reviews this scientific research and will consider this study, along with other peer reviewed research, as part of that process.'

The latest controversial study comes just two years after scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, found children exposed to mobile phones in the womb had a 30 per cent rise in behavioural difficulties at the age of seven. The study looked at 29,000 youngsters, but some British scientists said the findings could be due to lifestyle factors rather than mobiles. They pointed out that mothers glued to their mobiles may very well be less likely to interact as much with their children.

Article: 16th March 2012 www.dailymail.co.uk