A dozen reasons why iron is so important for women of childbearing age.

Iron deficiency is one of the leading risk factors for disability and death worldwide, affecting an estimated 2 billion people. Reference Reference

Women of childbearing age are prone to iron deficiency. Reference Reference

A low intake of iron is associated with a higher risk of premenstrual syndrome. Reference

PMS Symptoms are more severe in anemic women comparing to non-anemic women. Reference

Taking dietary and iron supplements for 2 months reduced PMS symptoms considerably in all women having anemia. Reference

Eating a diet that provided about 22 mg of iron every day for 10 years was linked to a 33% decrease in risks of developing premenstrual syndrome. Reference

Iron Deficiency is Linked to Pregnancy Complications Reference Reference

Apgar (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) scores, that assess the health of newborn infants, are significantly higher in children born to mothers who took iron supplements. Reference

Low Hemoglobin Level Is a Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression. Reference

Postpartum anemia is associated with an impaired quality of life, reduced cognitive abilities, emotional instability, and depression and constitutes a significant health problem in women of reproductive age.

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A decrease in maternal hemoglobin levels causes immunological and nutritional alterations in breast milk. Reference

Anemia is linked to insufficient breast milk. Reference

Can diet help fight prostate cancer? The Men’s Eating and Living (MEAL) study.

Few things can make a man feel less in control of his life than being told he has cancer. Making healthier choices — including what food you eat — can help regain some control, and make you feel better in the process. Can adopting a healthier diet help fight prostate cancer? That’s a question men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer often ask their doctors.

Several studies have shown that in countries where men eat a “Western” diet containing a large amount of meat, the incidence of prostate cancer, especially aggressive prostate cancer, is higher than in countries where plant foods are a primary part of the diet. Unfortunately, these studies weren’t designed to prove cause and effect. So for now, definitive answers about prostate cancer and diet aren’t yet in — although researchers are actively studying this topic.

Investigators have launched a federally funded national study to see whether a diet that’s higher in plant foods and lower in animal foods than the typical Western diet will help control tumor growth in men with early-stage prostate cancer.

Participants in the Men’s Eating and Living (MEAL) study will try to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily — significantly more than the three to four servings consumed each day by the typical American man — as well as two servings of whole grains and one serving of beans or other legumes.

This clinical trial will include men ages 50-80 years who have small, low-grade tumors and who have opted to have their condition followed (active surveillance) rather than undergoing immediate treatment. Researchers will randomly assign participants to telephone counseling about how to achieve the dietary MEAL goals or to a control group that receives standard dietary advice for Americans.

During the two-year study, the investigators will collect blood samples to assess levels of antioxidants and nutrients, and then monitor the men with PSA tests and prostate biopsies to determine whether the cancer is progressing. A pilot study showed the approach is workable, and that with enough telephone prompting men can increase their intake of vegetables and other healthy foods. To learn more about the larger phase III MEAL study, or to enroll, visit HERE  and search for Trial NCT 01238172.

Maternal vitamin D supports baby’s brain.

This large-scale prospective pregnancy cohort study examines the association between maternal circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations in pregnancy and offspring neuropsychological development.

Higher circulating concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in pregnancy was associated with improved mental and psychomotor development in infants.

Mothers with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have children with slower brain development and lower mental and motor skills, warn researchers.

–Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 in Pregnancy and Infant Neuropsychological Development Pediatrics 2012; 130:4 e913-e920

Maternal Vitamin C Deficiency during Pregnancy Persistently Impairs Neural Development

Planning to have a baby? Better pay careful attention to your vitamin C intake! Even marginal vitamin C deficiency in the mother stunts the fetal hippocampus, the important memory center, by 10-15 per cent, preventing the brain from optimal development.

Population studies show that between 10-20 per cent of all adults in the developed world suffer from vitamin C deficiency. Therefore, pregnant women should think twice about omitting their daily prenatal.

–Maternal Vitamin C Deficiency during Pregnancy Persistently Impairs Hippocampal Neurogenesis. PLoS One. 2012;7(10)

–Vitamin C deficiency in early postnatal life impairs spatial memory Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep; 90(3):540-6. Epub 2009 Jul 29.

Low vitamin D tied to lower birthweight babies.

Vitamin D status has been linked to birth weight.

Women deficient in vitamin D early in their pregnancies are more likely to deliver babies with lower birth weights, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health research reveals.

The research team discovered that mothers with levels of vitamin D in their blood of less than 0.015 parts per million (37.5 nmol/L or 14.8 ng/ml) in their first 26 weeks of pregnancy delivered babies who weighed an average of 46 grams less than their peers. Only full-term babies - those delivered between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy - were included in the study.

In addition, women who were vitamin D deficient in the first trimester of pregnancy - 14 weeks or less - were twice as likely to have babies who fell in the lower 10th percentile for weight when compared to other full-term babies born in the same week of pregnancy, a condition known as "small for gestational age."

Babies born small for gestational age are at five to 10 times greater risk for death in their first month and have a higher risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes, later in life.

Results from this study - one of the largest studies to examine a mother's vitamin D levels and their relationship with birth weights - show that clinical trials to determine if you can improve birth weights by giving women of reproductive age vitamin D supplements may be warranted.

Vitamin D is unique in that our bodies can make it from sunlight, though it also is in fortified foods, such as milk and orange juice, and can be taken as a supplement.

The study used a random sample of 2,146 pregnant women who participated in the Collaborative Perinatal Project, which was conducted in 12 U.S. medical centers from 1959 to 1965. The blood samples collected by the project were well-preserved and able to be tested for vitamin D levels half a century later.

"Although the blood samples were in remarkably good condition, it would be beneficial to repeat our study in a modern sample," the researcher said. "Today women smoke less, weigh more, have less sun-exposure and get more vitamin D in their foods - all things that could impact their vitamin D levels and babies' birth weights."

Maternal vitamin D deficiency could cause low birth weight by inhibiting the typical increase in calcium absorption by pregnant women, which could reduce fetal bone growth. It also could lead to a decrease in the hormones necessary to produce the glucose and fatty acids that provide for fetal energy needs.

Source: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, online December 2012