Strict vegetarian diets are gaining popularity, but concerns remain about their safety during pregnancy. A recent study found that pregnant women following strict vegetarian diets are 2.7 times more likely to have a small-for-gestational-age infant, with their newborns weighing an average of 240 grams (about half a pound) less at birth. Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies involving more than 72,000 participants. They examined key pregnancy outcomes, including birth weight, the risk of small-for-gestational-age infants, gestational diabetes, hypertensiv... diet pregnancy development vegetarian
Read moreCardiovascular disease claims the lives of nearly 20 million people worldwide every year. Exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, but experts aren't sure which form of exercise is optimal for reducing that risk. A recent study found that aerobic exercise alone or combined with resistance exercise is more effective at reducing cardiovascular disease risk than resistance exercise alone. The study involved 406 middle-aged adults with high blood pressure and either overweight or obesity. Participants engaged in one of three training regimens – resistance, aerobic, or combined resista... exercise mortality aerobic cardiovascular
Read moreParental abstention from alcohol reduces an infant's risk of being born with congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease is an umbrella term for a range of heart conditions that are present at birth. Approximately 1 percent of all children worldwide (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7306355/) are born with the conditions. Findings from a 2019 meta-analysis suggest that parental abstention from alcohol reduces an infant's risk of being born with congenital heart disease. Alcohol elicits an array of harmful effects on the human body and is widely considered a toxin. Consuming... alcohol pregnancy
Read moreCholine is an important part of prenatal nutrition and a vital component of neurotransmitters and myelin in the developing brain. Currently, the Adequate Intake (AI) is 450 milligrams per day for pregnant women; however, the effects of higher dose supplementation on childhood outcomes is unknown. Authors of a new report present data supporting a relationship between greater choline supplementation during pregnancy and better sustained attention in children at seven years of age. Choline is an essential nutrient found in foods such as egg yolks, dairy, peanuts, soy, and broccoli and in some vi... pregnancy
Read moreEvidence suggests that children born to women with obesity are at greater risk of developing health problems, including obesity, later in life. Findings from a new study suggest that dietary and physical activity changes during pregnancy improve the health of children born to women with obesity. The intervention study involved more than 500 children and their mothers before, during, and three years after pregnancy. The women received dietary and physical activity counseling in the early stages of pregnancy and received a pedometer to track their activity. When the children were three years o... pregnancy
Read moreFrom the article: > Human studies in siblings show that children born to a mother who was obese during pregnancy are at greater risk of heart disease than siblings born to the same mother after bariatric surgery to reduce maternal obesity. Such studies have provided strong evidence in humans that the environment experienced during critical periods of development can directly influence long-term cardiovascular health and heart disease risk. > [New research] shows that adult offspring from pregnancies complicated by chronic hypoxia have increased indicators of cardiovascular disease, such ... vitamin c pregnancy development
Read moreRandomized controlled trial finds that obese women that did intermittent fasting (24 hrs) and ate 30% less food (caloric restriction) for 10 weeks lost more fat mass, had improved triglycerides and decreased LDL cholesterol compared to women that only fasted or only did caloric restriction. ... obesity fasting triglycerides
Read moreThe study investigated the effects of both maternal weight and paternal weight on child development. Children with obese mothers were almost 70% more likely to fail a test for fine motor skills. Another study has shown that obesity epigenetically alters 500 different genes in human sperm DNA including genes involved in cognition. Likewise, several animal studies have shown that maternal obesity epigenetically changes genes involved in brain function. ... brain obesity epigenetics behavior
Read moreFTA: >Patients who need a bone marrow transplant and children who are born without a functioning thymus could all benefit. >Ways of boosting the thymus could also help elderly people. The organ shrinks with age and leads to a weaker immune system. ... aging immune system tissue repair thymus
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