Van's Health Foods

Vitamins C and E reduce pre-eclampsia

When pregnant, women can have elevated blood pressure, a condition called pre-eclampsia, which may require inducing labor or surgical delivery. Doctors said antioxidants may lower chances of pre-eclampsia, and in this study, 110 pregnant woman with low levels of antioxidants took 1,000 mg of vitamin C plus 400 IU of vitamin E per day, or a placebo, from eight to 12 weeks pregnant through two weeks after giving birth. Nine of the woman developed pre-eclampsia, with eight of the cases in the placebo group, and one in the antioxidant group. Doctors concluded that women who are low in antioxidants may reduce the chances of pre-eclampsia by taking antioxidants during pregnancy.

Mom’s folate levels may reduce emotional problems in children

Doctors know that low folate levels in early pregnancy increase chances of neural tube defects, and wanted to test for a link to behavioral and emotional problems in children. In 3,209 Dutch women, researchers measured folic acid in the diet and folate levels in early pregnancy, and then followed up on children’s emotional and behavioral problems at age three.

Compared to kids whose moms had good folate levels, those whose moms were deficient in folate before pregnancy were 57 percent more likely to develop emotional problems by age three. Compared to children whose moms started taking folic acid supplements when pregnant, those whose mothers started taking folic acid later during pregnancy, or who did not take folic acid at all were 45 percent more likely to have emotional problems. The Netherlands does not require manufacturers to fortify foods with folic acid.

Reference: Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research; May, 2012, Electronic Prepublication

From the September 2012 newsletter

Kids whose moms took folic acid were more likely to develop normal speech

Doctors said folic acid may have other childhood benefits besides reducing neural tube birth defects. Researchers analyzed language development in 38,954 Norwegian boys and girls whose mothers did or did not take 400 mcg of folic acid per day, from four weeks before becoming pregnant to eight weeks afterward. Norway does not require manufacturers to fortify foods with folic acid.

Doctors measured severe language delay, which they defined as speaking only one word, or making only unintelligible sounds. In children whose moms did not take folic acid, 9 out of 1,000 had severe language delay. For children whose moms did take folic acid, the rate of severe language delay was less than half, or 4 in 1,000.

Multivitamin improved aerobic capacity and physical endurance

Researchers in this study gave 300 school kids, aged 7 to 10.5 years, 40 grams of chocolate malt beverage powder, with or without multivitamin fortification, or no treatment at all. The two malt powders had the same number of calories.

After four months, while the two other groups did not improve in any measure, the multivitamin group had large increases in aerobic capacity and whole-body endurance. To test endurance, kids ran continuously between two points, 66 feet apart, at increasing speed. The multivitamin group also improved in blood levels of iron, vitamin C, and the active forms of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, and B12.

Reference: Journal of the American Medical Association; 2011, Vol. 306, No. 14, 1566-73

From the April 2012 newsletter