Why a steak for pregnant mothers could stop babies crying

By STEPHANIE DARRALL

Mothers-to-be who boost their intake of vitamin B12, found in steak, during the first three months of pregnancy are up to eight times more likely to have babies who cry less, researchers suggest


Mothers-to-be who boost their intake of a vitamin found in steak during the first three months of pregnancy are up to eight times more likely to have babies who cry less, researchers suggest.

The B12 vitamin occurs naturally in red meat, fish and dairy products and is already known to help the development of the brain and nervous system in unborn children.

It also helps prevent dementia, heart disease and even fertility problems later in life.

Now the latest findings by researchers suggest pregnant women who consume only low levels of B12 may have babies whose nervous systems have not fully developed.

They say it means a hormone in the brain which lulls babies to sleep may not be released properly, causing infants to cry for longer periods of the day.

The study, published in the journal Early Human Development, involved nearly 3,000 pregnant women.

Each had a blood test during their first pre-natal appointment at three months, which measured the amount of B12 in their blood.

Once their babies were born, they recorded how often they cried, and for how long.

The researchers found that those women whose test results showed they had the least B12 were up to eight times more likely to give birth to a child who cried for prolonged periods than those who had the most.

On average, five per cent of mothers lacking B12 had a distressed baby while just over one per cent of women with the most B12 reported their baby cried excessively.

The researchers, from the Public Health Service in the Netherlands, concluded: 'This study provides first evidence for an early nutritional origin in infant crying behaviour.

source: dailymail

Tuna sandwiches 'could help prevent sight loss in old age'

By JENNY HOPE

Tuna salad: Omega-3 fatty acids were found to protect against age-related macular degeneration


Tuna sandwiches could help protect your eyesight in old age, say researchers.

Regular consumption of fish – including canned tuna – and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids can cut the risk of the most common cause of age-related blindness by 42 per cent, a Harvard study has found.

Around 200,000 Britons suffer from age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, each year.

It is the most common cause of sight loss in those over 50 and robs sufferers of their central vision.

A team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston compiled data on 38,000 women who had not been diagnosed with AMD.

Information on their eating habits, including their intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, was collected and their eye health tracked over ten years.

During this time, 235 cases of AMD were reported.

The researchers found that women who consumed the most fish oils had a 38 per cent lower risk of developing AMD compared with those who ate the least.

And consuming one or more servings of fish a week was linked to a 42 per cent lower risk of sight loss compared with eating one serving a month.


Bread alert: Tinned tuna has less fish oil than fresh tuna but is more regularly eaten in sandwiches


Study leader Dr William Christen said: 'The lower risk appeared to be due primarily to consumption of canned tuna fish and dark-meat fish.'

Although tinned tuna does not contain as much fish oil as fresh tuna, the finding is significant because it is so widely eaten in sandwiches. The study will be published in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology medical journal.


source: dailymail