Probiotics Benefit Moms To Be
Nausea and vomiting affect about 85 percent of women during pregnancy, and new research suggests that probiotics may offer some relief. A study of 32 women found that those who took a daily supplement containing 10 different probiotic strains reported significant improvements in their daily nausea and vomiting, as well as reduced constipation and an overall improvement in their quality of life. Furthermore, the team found that higher vitamin E levels were strongly associated with less vomiting, which study authors say suggests how essential vitamin E is during pregnancy.
Alive - 2022, pg. 6.
Comment:
Best sources of vitamin E is Swiss Chard, organic cold pressed hemp oil, sprouted organic seeds and nuts, dry beans, organic sprouted basmati brown rice, sweet potatoes, and organic eggs.
Iodine Deficiency and Infertility
In a prospective cohort study of 501 women in the United States who had discontinued contraception during the previous two months in order to become pregnant, urinary iodine concentrations were sufficient (100 ug/L or higher) in 55.7%, mildly deficient (50-99 ug/L) in 21.8%, moderately deficient (20-49 ug/L) in 20.8%, and severely deficient (less than 20 ug/L) in 1.7% (total number deficient, 44.3%). Women whose iodine-to-creatinine ratios were below 50 ug/g were 46% less likely to become pregnant in each menstrual cycle then were women with higher ratios (p < 0.03).
Comment:
Thyroid hormone plays a key role in reproduction, and even subtle hypothyroidism can lead to decreased fertility. Adequate iodine intake is essential for normal thyroid function. In this present study, 44.3% of US women trying to become pregnant had suboptimal or low iodine intake, and low iodine status was associated with a decreased probability of becoming pregnant. Dietary iodine intake should therefore be assessed in women planning to become pregnant. The organic micro algae that I recommend in my supplement program is an ideal supplement to address iodine deficiency.
Other good food sources of iodine include fish, eggs, kelp and other seaweeds. Iodized salt is not a good source of natural iodine and I recommend you avoid it.
Mills JL, et al. Delayed conception in women with low-urinary iodine concentrations: a population-based prospective cohort study (Hum Reprod. 2018;33:426-433).
Zinc Deficiency and Infertility
Zinc is required for proper fetal growth and immunity. Plasma zinc levels decline about 30% during pregnancy, and low zinc intake is associated with spontaneous abortion and premature delivery, as well as complications and labor abnormalities.
Low zinc was also associated with the specific complication of fetal distress, and may be associated with abnormalities in infants, including neural tube defects, as well as low birth weight infants and toxemia of pregnancy.
Supplementation, especially if zinc levels are low, is recommended to reduce the risk of fetal and maternal complications. In one study, complications during labor (vaginal bleeding, fetal acidosis, uterine inertia) were improved. Another study showed a lower incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension (which is associated with pre-eclampsia and preterm labor).
Comment:
It is always important to supplement with foods high in zinc and never use man made isolated mineral supplements because they are not assimilable. Some food sources of zinc are oysters, beets, broccoli, wheat germ, wheat bran, fish, micro algae, lentils, and watercress.
“Women’s Health Update". Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients-January 2002 P. 143.
Curcumin Boosts Fertility in Men
Sperm counts have plunged by half in the last 40 years among American and European men, according to a recent review of scientific studies. In a new double blind study of 56 infertile men, researchers at Iran’s Qazvin University of Medical Sciences found that curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, can boost sperm counts. Each day for 10 weeks, half of the men took 80 milligrams of curcumin nanomicelle, in which curcumin is better absorbed; the other 28 were given a placebo. The researchers found that the curcumin significantly boosted sperm count and motility (Seattle Awakenings pg. 8).
Stress Lowers Women’s Fertility
Women that feel highly stressed on a daily basis have a lower ability to conceive, report Boston University School of Medicine researchers. In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, 4,769 couples that were trying to conceive were followed for a year. Those women with the highest self-reported stress were 13 percent less likely to conceive than women that reported little stress.
Men being under high stress had no effect on conception, but couples were a quarter less likely to conceive if the man’s stress score was low and the women’s was high, which the researchers termed “partner stress discordance.” In North America, about one out of four women and one out of five men of reproductive age report daily psychological stress (Natural Awakenings, January 2019, Pg. 6).
Does Eating Sugar Impair Fertility?
The association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and fertility was examined in a prospective cohort study of 3,828 North American women (aged 21-45 years) who had been attempting to become pregnant for six months or less and 1,045 of their male partners. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire that assessed sugar-sweetened beverage consumption during the previous four weeks, and they were followed until pregnancy or for up to 12 menstrual cycles. As compared with no intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, consumption of seven or more servings per week was associated with a significant 20% decrease in both males and females in the fecundability ratio (defined as the probability of conception in any given cycle).
Comment:
In a previous study, consumption of a diet high in sucrose (2.6 g per kg of body weight 2 days a week) inhibited oocyte maturation in monkeys. In addition, feeding sugar-sweetened drinks (25% of total calories) resulted in impaired fertility in male mice. In a cross-sectional study of college men, higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was significantly associated with lower sperm motility. The results of the present study suggest that excessive sugar consumption may decrease fertility in humans as well (Hatch EE, et al. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and fecundability in a North American preconception cohort. Epidemiology. 2018; 29: 369-378).