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prenatal

Prenatal, Childhood Diets – Most Important Role in Breast Cancer Risk?? – (10-09-00)

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Prenatal, Childhood Diets – Most Important Role in Breast Cancer Risk??

More and more evidence is suggesting that many of today’s adult diseases actually begin decades earlier as children. This article suggests that the timing of exposure to estrogen is very important for breast cancer development, and exposure as an adolescent protects against breast cancer. This strongly supports the use of soy products in this age group to increase phytoestrogen exposure. It is so incredibly important to start focusing on the health of our younger generation. Children are becoming increasingly obese with nutrient deficient diets, and this portends very, very poorly for our society’s life expectancy.

At the 10th Annual research Conference of the American Institute for Cancer research (AICR), a leading cancer scientist outlined the increasing evidence that fetal and childhood diets may have a greater impact on lifetime breast cancer risk than diets during adulthood. Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, of the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University, described her own work and summarized ongoing research efforts around the world. “At certain stages of a woman’s life, particularly in the womb and after menopause, diets that induce high estrogen levels do indeed seem to increase her risk of getting breast cancer. During reproductive years, however, high estrogen levels show no effect at all,” said Dr. Hilakivi-Clarke. She added that incoming laboratory and human studies now suggest that at still another time — childhood — high estrogen levels seem to play a powerful protective role against breast cancer. She reviewed the results of human trials that have linked certain traits associated with high estrogen levels during childhood (ie, high body mass, high-fat diets) to lowered breast cancer risk. Evidence that healthy diets high fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans offer overall cancer protection is “convincing and compelling,” according the AICR report Food, nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. In fact, AICR estimates that following such a diet, maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular exercise could bring about an astonishing 30 to 40 percent drop in worldwide cancer rates.

Prenatal and Postnatal Flavor Learning by Human Infants – (06-07-01)

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Prenatal and Postnatal Flavor Learning by Human Infants

I’ve heard this concept before I think it gives us the most incredible tool yet to ensure that our children will eat healthy. Basically, whatever a mother eats towards the end of her pregnancy will leave the developing fetus with a taste for that food. That way the infant will have an acquired taste for the food available in that geographic region. We already have plenty of reasons to make sure the last few months of pregnancy are as healthy as possible–now we have yet another.

Pediatrics — Abstracts: Mennella et al. 107 (6): e88

Read entire article here

PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE DURING PREGNANCY ON THE RISE

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From my perspective, the use of ANY prescription medication during pregnancy is of concern.  However, with time it seems like society and medicine are becoming increasingly accepting of its use.

Environmental Working Groups’ (http://www.ewg.org/) 10 Americans study was immensely eye opening view on just how many chemicals the developing baby is exposed to.  While this particular study looked at environmental chemicals, it demonstrated beyond a doubt that the placenta is not the great, wonderful filter we thought it was.  The vast majority of what mom is exposed to the developing baby is exposed to.

Some of these exposures we have an understanding of.  The vast majority of the 88,000 chemicals allowed by the EPA have no studies.  The same holds true for the FDA and prescription drugs.  In general, we have very little data on what effects prescription drugs have on the baby’s development.  Without a doubt, because of our lack of understanding and the vital importance of the topic at hand, the only answer is to err on the side of caution.

I understand that some medications may be necessary during pregnancy.  But this study finds that, over the past 3 decades, prescription use during first trimester has increased 60%.  60% increase.  What drugs exactly are women taking that they didn’t need 30 years ago?   The use of 4 or more medications at a time tripled.

Even more frightening is the finding that, by 2008, a whopping 50% of women (out of 30,000 surveyed) had taken a medication during the first trimester.  That’s half for those of you not good at math.

This suggests that the permissive nature of the use of pharmaceutical drugs has bled over into pregnancy, which used to be the realm of avoid medications at all costs.  The long term ramifications of this chemical exposure to our child has yet to be played out, but I can guarantee it’s not going to be pretty.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937811002195