Infants born by cesarean section have different microbial communities in and on their bodies than those born vaginally, potentially increasing their risk of developing certain diseases, such as asthma and obesity. But a new study shows that vaginal microbiota transfer – exposing newborns to fluids from their mother's vagina – may rectify these differences. The study involved 68 infants born by cesarean section. Researchers swabbed the infants' skin with sterile gauze soaked in either the mother's vaginal fluids or saline immediately after birth. They assessed the infants' neurodevelopment at t... microbiome immune system pregnancy development
Read moreMother-to-child transmission of disease, also known as vertical transmission, can occur during pregnancy. Several viruses, including hepatitis B, herpes varicella-zoster (chickenpox), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), can be passed via vertical transmission. A recent report indicates that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not transmittable from pregnant mothers to their infants at birth. The report describes the clinical course of four live-born, full-term infants born to pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Three of the four infants did not test... covid-19
Read moreThe Western Style Diet, sometimes referred to as Standard American Diet (SAD), is a dietary pattern characterized by high intake of refined carbohydrates, fatty meats, added fats, and sodium, and low intake of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The Western dietary pattern has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases and conditions (https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/81/2/341/4607411), including overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Findings from a recent study suggest that the Western dietary pattern impairs hippocampus-depen... diet saturated fat blood pressure carbohydrates blood sugar weight loss
Read moreMany factors influence a child's growth and development, including parenting styles, environmental exposures, socioeconomic status, and maternal health. Maternal obesity, in particular, drives inflammatory, hormonal, and metabolic dysfunction that may adversely affect a developing fetus. Findings from a new study indicate that boys born to obese women perform poorly in measures of motor skills and intelligence compared to children born to healthy weight women. The study involved 368 children born to low-income African American or Dominican women living in the United States. The children under... brain obesity pregnancy intelligence
Read more~36% of adults in US do not engage in physical activity. Brisk walking every day for only 20 minutes leads to a 30-40% reduced risk of a heart attack. ...
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Read more> "For the babies who had very low vitamin D, their risk was about twice as high as those babies who had optimal vitamin D," says McGrath. > "But the amazing thing was that the study that was based in Denmark, where low vitamin D is quite common, we found that if vitamin D is linked to schizophrenia our statistics suggest that it could explain about 40% of all schizophrenias. > "That's a much bigger effect than we're used to seeing in schizophrenia research." ... vitamin d schizophrenia vitamin a
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