Pregnancy: how exercise is an effective as medication in treating gestational diabetes

As many as one in eight women will develop gestational diabetes sometime during their pregnancies, increasing health risks for themselves and their babies says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy. According to Dr Green (please see his excellent website www.drgreene.com) researchers at the University of Southern California School of Medicine studied a group of women who had already developed gestational diabetes and who had fasting blood glucose levels high enough to require insulin. Half of the women in the study received the recommended insulin. The other half got personal trainers instead. The trainers supervised the women while they did simple twenty-minute stints on exercise bikes.

The results, says Dr. Green, were startling: moderate aerobic exercise was equally effective to insulin! Blood glucose levels were statistically the same in both groups.

Studies have already shown that exercise can improve insulin sensitivity and help to manage Type II diabetes, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, This adds to the weight of evidence that exercise is important during pregnancy and if you undertake moderate exercise during your pregnancy, you may avoid gestational diabetes in the first place.

A number of nutrients can also help prevent and alleviate gestational diabetes says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown as they are important in blood sugar regulation. They include: Magnesium, Chromium, Vanadium, Vitamin E, Vitamin C Zinc, Selenium and other anti-oxidants.

Making the correct food choices can ensure you include foods with the above nutrients which will in turn help you alleviate gestational diabetes or help you avoid this pregnancy health issue in the first place, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

NB. Please talk to your midwife or GP before embarking on an exercise programme during your pregnancy (especially if you did not exercise regularly beforehand). Two useful websites regarding exercise include: www.lifestylexperts.com and www.newbornfitness.co.uk which supply pregnancy exercise balls/birthing balls.

Sperm Abnormalities Due to Low Folate Intake

A study published in the Journal Human Reproduction has reported that a diet low in folate leads to a higher risk of sperm abnormalities that may cause birth defects like Down's Syndrome or miscarriage.

Numerous studies have advocated women of child bearing age, who are pregnant or thinking about having a baby should supplement 400mcg of folic acid, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy. However, researchers are now stressing the importance of folate in men’s diet as low folate levels can be the cause of abnormal sperm.

The researchers found that several micronutrients were associated with a lower frequency of different abnormalities. High folic acid intake was associated with 19% fewer abnormalities (all types) than moderate intake and 20% fewer than men with a low micronutrient intake. There were also reductions in specific types of abnormality. For example, there were 26% fewer sperm with no sex chromosome in the high-intake group compared with the low-intake group. There were also 30% fewer sperm with two X chromosomes (associated with triple X syndrome) and abnormalities on chromosome 21 (associated with Down’s syndrome) in the high-intake group compared with the moderate-intake group.

High total zinc intake reduced the frequency of two X chromosomes by about 50% compared with the moderate-intake group and 39% compared with the low-intake group. Zinc was not associated with lowering the risk of other abnormalities. Vitamin C and vitamin E had no association with sperm abnormalities, but high beta-carotene intake reduced YY abnormalities.

The message is clear, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, a man’s diet is just an important as that of his partner when planning to have a baby.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your fertility and diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

PCOS helped by vitamin B therapy

A recent study was undertaken among women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. It was hypothesised, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy, that intervention using an isoform of inositol (myo-inositol), belonging to the vitamin B complex, would improve the insulin-receptor activity, restoring normal ovulatory function.

PCOS is often characterized by lack of ovulation or an absence of periods. In addition, 30-40% of PCOS women have impaired glucose tolerance, and a defect in the insulin signaling pathway seems to be implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. PCOS patients are subfertile as a consequence of such ovulatory disorders, which makes pregnancy very difficult and often need drugs, such as clomiphene citrate or follicle-stimulating hormone, for ovulation induction, which increases the risk of multiple pregnancy and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

The outcome of the study demonstrated that twenty-two out of the 25 (88%) patients restored at least one spontaneous menstrual cycle during treatment, of whom 18 (72%) maintained normal ovulatory activity during the follow-up period and a total of 10 pregnancies (40% of patients) were obtained.

It is known says, UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, that vitamin therapy as well and dietary changes can help with PCOS and glucose tolerance.

To find out more, please contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT). Melody offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Infertility risks high among cancer patients

A new report by experts from the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Radiologists, and Obstetricians and Gynaecologists state that the NHS does not have a universal policy to maximise fertility among cancer sufferers.

The four main treatments for cancer — surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy — can all affect fertility and most doctors advise women not to become pregnant until at least two years after chemotherapy because of the likelihood of the cancer coming back.

What many people do not realise is that cancer in many instances can be avoided, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy. Incredibly, the World Cancer Research Fund has estimated that 30-40% of cancers could be prevented through correct dietary choices.

Making adjustments to your diet can therefore help your body to work properly and to ward off or reverse ill-health. This is especially important if there is a history of cancer in your family, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

Consequently, seeking professional dietary advice may help considerably to minimise your risk of getting cancer, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

To find out more, contact Melody Mackeown

More Evidence that Breast is Best

More evidence has emerged (Pediatrics, 2008) that breastfeeding for at least 4 months, compared with feeding formula made with intact cow milk protein, prevents or delays the occurrence of atopic dermatitis, cow milk allergy, and wheezing in early childhood.

There are a vast array of other reasons why breast is best for your baby says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy, including having a higher IQ, developing fewer colds, ear infections, gastric infections and pneumonia. Breastfeeding is also best for you as it can help you lose weight more easily – breastfeeding uses up 500 calories a day! It also promotes greater bonding between mum and baby.

Sadly, less than a third of mums in the UK are still breastfeeding at 4 months. One of the key reasons appears to be insufficient milk and that new mums find it too exhausting.

However, optimising your diet during your pregnancy and while breastfeeding may help ensure you have the correct nutrients to provide a plentiful supply of milk and give you enough energy to keep going while your breastmilk flow is established and you and your baby learn how best to breastfeed – this takes around 6 weeks!

I have written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy. To find out more, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

More evidence that diet and lifestyle can significantly improve fertility

According to Dr Jorge Chavarro, lead author of the study, which was published in November 2007 in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, following a "fertility diet" may favourably influence fertility in healthy women and that the majority of infertility cases due to ovulation disorders may be preventable through modifications of diet and lifestyle.

What this means says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy is that certain foods and lifestyle factors can significantly affect hormone levels and improve fertility in women with ovulation problems - a common cause of infertility.

A combination of five or more low-risk lifestyle factors, including diet, weight control, and physical activity are important, according to the Harvard based researchers.

The ‘best diet’ appears to be one with more fruit and vegetables, less meat and carbohydrates, more healthy fats and few or no trans fats. The fertility diet may influence ovulation because of the affect it has on insulin levels. Insulin levels, in turn, can affect sex-hormone-binding globulin, which can affect the amount of free androgen in a women's body – and too much can suppress ovulation. “The most surprisingly result was that fat from diary products appeared to increase fertility”, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION. “However, this may not appear as counter-intuitive as it seems, as it is important to remember that saturated fats in moderation are essential for your body to operate effectively”.

To find out more, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Being overweight reduces your chances of becoming pregnant

It is well known that if you are overweight it affects your fertility and chances of becoming pregnant naturally and another study published last year by researchers at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam have again drawn the same conclusion.

It is known that obesity disrupts ovulation and many women who are overweight do not ovulate regularly. However, what was not known for certain is it that fertility also declines among overweight women who are ovulating regularly.

After following over 3,000 couples, the study found that women with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher (which is considered obese) had a significantly lower probability of becoming pregnant naturally than women with BMIs between 21 and 29 (which is considered normal weight).

Further, the more obese the woman was, the harder time she had with conception. Compared with normal weight women, women with a BMI of 35 had a 26 percent lower chance of getting pregnant naturally, while women with a BMI of 40 had a 43 percent lower chance. This means that the more overweight you are, the harder it becomes to get pregnant.

Obese women may have disturbed hormone levels, which decrease their chances of successful fertilization, researchers said.

Fortunately, there was also recent review into the most effective diet to lose weight and it was concluded that you lose more weight on a low glycaemic diet, which is the diet (or healthy eating pattern) that I promote to all my clients whether or not they are overweight.

To find out more, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Smoking – what to do if you would like to quit

It is well known that smoking can adversely affect your fertility rate and can harm your baby. “So, now would be a good time to quit, if you are planning on having a baby this year”, says Nutritionist and Foresight Practitioner Melody Mackeown.

With the introduction last July of a smoking ban, excellent NHS Stop Smoking services and the availability of a wider range of treatment products (such as Nutritional Therapy or hypnosis), finding the right support to help you stop smoking is extremely good.

So why is stopping smoking so hard?
If you have ever unsuccessfully tried to give up smoking in the past, then you will know that it is fraught with difficulties. Firstly, when you are deprived of nicotine, smokers experience withdrawal symptoms such as depressed mood, irritability, poor concentration, sleep disturbance, hunger and cravings to smoke. Using tobacco puts an immediate end to these, which explains why the relapse rate is so high.

How can Nutritional Support help?
As smoking can upset your blood sugar balance, one of the first things I would look at, as a Nutritionist, are ways to regulate your blood sugar imbalance. Many foods can impact negatively on your blood sugar levels, as well as other stimulants such as coffee, tea, alcohol and chocolate. There are also a number of supplements that may help reduce your craving for nicotine.

You may be interested to know that a blood sugar imbalance can also mirror many of the symptoms above, such as irritability and poor concentrations. Consequently, stabilizing your blood sugar is a must.

Tips for successful quitting
Tips for success include:
§ Pick a date to quit that will be stress-free and stick to it
§ Book an appointment with your local NHS Stop Smoking service, who will advice you on aids to stop smoking or call the NHS Smoking Helpline 0800 169 0 169 for support or visit your GP
§ Book an appointment to see a Nutritional Therapist, who can advice you on ways to reduce your nicotine cravings via food and supplementation
§ Plan ahead and avoid stressful situations or people that could tempt you back to smoking
§ Take it one day at a time and congratulate yourself for every smoke-free day
§ Keep back the money you are saving – and treat yourself (e.g. book yourself in for a massage)
§ There’s no such thing as having ‘just one’ cigarette (remember it normally takes 90 days or 3 months to effectively quit). Don’t do it!
§ Think positively – tell yourself – I can and will do it!

UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT) offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Source: www.jfhc.co.uk

Maternal shortage of vitamin D linked to an increase in rickets among children

Recent research has shown that doctors fear a resurgence of rickets – particularly in Asian or dark skinned children, where the incidence may be as high as 1 in a 100 - due to a lack of vitamin D.

Rickets is a bone disease mainly caused by a lack of the vitamin. It can lead to deformities, stunted growth and general ill-health.

"If a pregnant or breastfeeding woman is lacking in vitamin D, the baby will also have low vitamin D and calcium levels which can lead babies to develop seizures in the first months of life." Further complications mean that there is a chance that your child may become anaemic (when the blood is unable to carry enough oxygen around the body) and this not only affects your child’s behaviour, but may lead to lack of attention and the inability to concentrate at school.

Dr Colin Michie, a paediatrician at Ealing Hospital, says the biggest problem is maternal shortage of vitamin D. "Mothers and babies are simply not getting enough of this important vitamin.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women have been urged to boost their vitamin D intake particularly in the winter months amid warnings that cases of rickets in children are increasing. There are two ways of getting sufficient vitamin D – one is through sunlight and the other is through certain foods or supplementation.

It is thought that most people in the UK may get enough vitamin D from sunlight – from 15-20 minutes of sun exposure to the arms, head and shoulders each day during the summer months - to make enough vitamin D for good health. However, research has shown that in winter months at latitudes of 52 degrees north (above Birmingham), there is no ultraviolet light of the appropriate wavelength for the body to make vitamin D in the skin. Furthermore, there is no accurate way to assess what is adequate sunshine exposure for any given infant or child.

Melody Mackeown, Nutritionist & Foresight Practitioner, says as vitamin D also helps calcium to be absorbed and this has implications for the normal development of bones, teeth, and nerves, as well as heart health. If you are pregnant or are trying to conceive and do not obtain sufficient vitamin D from your diet or lifestyle then this may adversely affect your children later on. You may also be affected directly by developing soft bones.

UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT) offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care right in the city of London, EC2.

Sources: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7161458.stm
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/111/4/908
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab006164.html
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241546123_chap3.pdf

Improving Male Fertility

UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT) offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care right in the city of London, EC2. Melody has written this great e-book on how you can improve Male fertility with nutrition.

Here's just a sample of what you'll discover inside:

Ten dietary factors that improve male fertility
Three lifestyle factors to improve fertility


To get this FREE e-Book click here.

Chlamydia – without treatment it can cause infertility

There is alot being said in the media about Chlamydia and its affect on fertility at the moment with good cause. With up to one in ten sexually active young people having Chlamydia in the UK, it's a real problem facing couples trying to have a baby.

'A study published in 2004 involving Swedish couples seeking infertility treatment found that men with chlamydia infection were less likley to father a child. But researchers have lacked good evidence about why men with the disease develop fertility trouble and how to reverse the problem'

'Men with chlamydia have more than three times the normal level of DNA fragmentation in their sperm, report researchers.' taken from new scientist article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/4347858.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7044602.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/15/ncmlydia115.xml

What is it?

is one of the most commonly sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It's a bacterial infection, which is found in semen and vaginal fluids.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/relationships/sex_and_sexual_health/stis_chlam.shtml).

You can buy tests from most chemists, but it is a good idea to see your doctor and to ask to be tested for Chlamydia if you or your partner is experiencing problems getting pregnant. Alternatively, you can visit your local hospital GUM clinic where you can receive a full health screen for free to see if you have any infections that might be affect your fertility. A further list of potential causes of infertility can be found here.

To find your nearest Hospital GUM clinic. Please note that both partners need to be tested as it is easily transmissible.

What's the treatment?

As it is a bacterial infection, it means that it can be easily treated by antibiotics and this is a highly effective way of dealing with this infection. However, as antibiotics can also kill friendly gut bacteria it is always a good idea to take a course of Probiotics (friendly gut bacteria) after your course of antibiotics. Please note, that if both couples are infected and are giving a course of antibiotics, they should refrain from sexual intercourse until the course of antibiotics is completed.

What are the symptoms?

As Chlamydia sometimes has no symptoms, in both men and women, it can often go undiagnosed, unless it leads to complications. Some women may have 'non-specific symptoms' such as:

• Cystitis
• A change in their vaginal discharge
• Mild lower abdominal pain
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Bleeding between periods or during or after sex
• Pain with sex or when passing urine; and Lower abdominal pain

However, when complications arise it can lead to infertility. In women, Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This can lead to:

• Miscarriage;
• Ectopic pregnancy (when a pregnancy develops outside the womb, usually in the fallopian tube);
• Blocked fallopian tubes (the tubes that carry the egg from ovary to womb); and
  Long-term pelvic pain

Chlamydia can also be passed from a mother to her baby during childbirth. Although no obvious symptoms are immediately apparent, the infection will often develop two weeks after birth, and can result in complications such as pneumonia.

Men might notice:

• White/cloudy, watery discharge from the tip of the penis
• Pain when passing urine or painful testicles

Chlamydia can also cause fertility problems in men, approximately half of all men with symptoms have impaired fertility, such as epididymitis.

Female Fertility

From a medical perspective, the two most common identifiable problems for women are:

• Problems with ovulation (such as irregular periods)
• Damage to fallopian tubes (e.g. from an infection)
  

However, almost a third of all problems can not be identified and are therefore classified as ‘unexplained’.

Subclinical nutritional deficienciesProblems with fertility may be down to a lack of certain vitamins, minerals and essential fats due to poor digestion or a diet that is not as good as it could be. This is because essential nutrients aid the working of the endocrine glands responsible for fertility and responsible to regulate ovulation and normalise periods. Essential nutrients can also help ensure that the fallopian tubes are in good working order.

Want to know more

Vitamin B6 may boost conception

A study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, may see vitamin B6 become as important as the current "Big 3" of pregnancy nutrition: folic acid, calcium with vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Researchers in China looked at blood levels of homocysteine, folate, and vitamins B6 and B12 in over 350 women to see if there was a link between B vitamin status and ease of conception. The women had an average age of 25 years and had all conceived at least once between 1996-8. Daily urine samples were taken for 12 months and tested for human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) to detect conception and early pregnancy loss.

It was found that women with an adequate vitamin B6 status (>30nm/l) had a 40% better chance of conception and a 30% lower risk of miscarriage early in pregnancy compared with women with a low vitamin B6 status. Having high vitamin B6 levels in the blood improved these chances further with a 120% increased chance of conception at 38nm/l and a 50% lower risk of early pregnancy loss at 46nm/l. The results suggest that increasing vitamin B6 levels prior to conception could boost conception rates and decrease the risk of early miscarraige.

Melody Mackeown, Nutritionist & Foresight Practitioner, says 'These results are very promising but further research is needed to support the observations. We know that Vitamin B6 is a key nutrient in many functions within the body'

Source: American Journal of EpidemiologyVolume 166, Number 3, Pages 304-312; doi:10.1093/aje/kwm078 "Preconception B-Vitamin and Homocysteine Status, Conception, and Early Pregnancy Loss"Authors: A.G. Ronnenberg, S.A. Venners, X. Xu, C. Chen, L. Wang, W. Guang, A. Huang and X. Wang

Having an older brother may decrease Fertility

Research looking at historical data by The University of Sheffield has concluded that having boys takes more out of a mother and may reduce her lifespan. One theory is that male fetuses produce more of the sex hormone testosterone and the stress hormone cortisol. Both these hormones may make a mother’s immune system weaker, thereby making her more vulnerable to illnesses and disease.

Surprisingly, it was also found that offspring to mothers whose first child was a boy were likely to have fewer children, than those in families where the first child was a girl. This was true regardless of the gender of your second or subsequent child (i.e. whether you have a boy or girl). This may also be a result of the mother having a weaker immune after first having a boy. It may also be due to the first born boy depleting more nutrients from the mother’s stores. Consequently, younger siblings may not receive the same nutrients throughout pregnancy.

“What this suggests”, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, “is that optimizing your diet before and during all pregnancies is vital for a mother’s immune system (especially if you are having a boy) and then for your children for their reproductive health later in life (especially it would seem for younger siblings).

The best way to do this is to eat a good, balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day) and protein sources such as meat, poultry and fish. Meat is a good source of animal protein and important minerals such as iron and zinc, with zinc being especially important for male fertility. Fatty fish is a very good source of essential fats, which are important in the development of the foetus.

Welcome to Nutrition, Fertility & Pregnancy in the City Of London

Over the coming months we hope to bring you lots of information on how you can improve your health and fertility.

Who are we?

Our company is called UrBod, we are a team of qualified nutritionists. All of the team are fully insured and members of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists.

Kenny Tranquille Nutritional Therapist & NLP Coach, in Canary Wharf and the City of London.

Melody Mackeown, Nutritional Therapist & Foresight Practitioner, City of London.

Amanda Michie, Nutritional Therapist & Foresight Practitioner, City of London.

Free Healthy Bump' Tasters City of London EC2

Melody Mackeown, UrBod Nutritionist & Foresight Practitioner, City of London is offering free fertility sessions.

By choosing a Free 'Healthy Bump' Taster you'll learn all about the possible underlying causes to your health issue, which foods will be beneficial and you should increase and which foods to cut down on. To book or find out more click here

Free UrBump e-Book- Conceiving by design, not chance

UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT) offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care right in the city of London, EC2. Melody has written this great e-book on how you can improve your fertility with nutrition.

Here's just a sample of what you'll discover inside:


Ten dietary factors that improve Fertility

Three lifestyle factors to improve fertility

Why improving your diet may well make UrBump healthier

To get this FREE e-Book click here.