As some of you may know, I get all of my worldly news from the Yahoo! front page. If it's not on there I might not know about it....
Having said that I woke up this morning and found the following title, "Mother's diet can help determine sex of child: study"
I have been saying for years that there is a trend towards female babies but my friends and fellow doctors thought I was crazy. This study looked at 740 women in Britain who did not know the sex of their unborn baby and asked them details about their diet.
What they found is very cool!
*Fifty-six percent of the women in the group with the highest energy intake had sons, compared to 45 percent in the least-well fed cohort.
*Beside racking up a higher calorie count, the group who produced more males were also more likely to have eaten a wider range of nutrients, including potassium, calcium and vitamins C, E and B12.
*The odds of an XY, or male outcome to a pregnancy also went up sharply "for women who consumed at least one bowl of breakfast cereal daily compared with those who ate less than or equal to one bowl of week," the study reported.
They report that previous research has shown -- despite the rising epidemic in obesity -- a reduction in the average energy uptake in advanced economies. The number of adults who skip breakfast has also increased substantially.
They say this is a built-in evolutionary mechanism...because women traditionally can handle the tougher times and can still reproduce then female babies are more commonly born.
The author says, if a mother has plentiful resources, then it can make sense to invest in producing a son because he is likely to produce more grandchildren than would a daughter, thus contributing to the survival of the species.
What does this mean?
It means that your diet will 'potentially' influence the gender of your baby. It means, while you are trying to become pregnant to eat a healthy diet, do not skip breakfast, avoid alcohol, smoking and coffee completely and take care of your body!
It means that if you take care of yourself through your diet then evolution recognizes that you are healthy...and that is ultimately what you want to be.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Plastic - Potentially Toxic?
The federal National Toxicology Program said Tuesday that experiments on rats found precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems and early puberty when the animals were fed or injected with low doses of the plastics chemical bisphenol A.
This is something that environment groups have known for years...but what is it?
Bisphenol A is a chemical found in shatter-proof hard plastics such as baby bottles, storage containers, water bottles, food containers...etc. The idea is that it is an "endocrine disruptor" in that it mimics the actions of estrogen.
According to the article, the CDC reports that more than 90 percent of Americans are exposed to trace amounts of bisphenol. The chemical leaches out of water bottles, the lining of cans and other items made with it.
One state, New Jersey, has already passed a bill banning the sale of plastic with bisphenol in it. Canada's health system is also doing similar research and looking to report their findings soon.
Don't use plastic. If you must use plastic then absolutely do not store anything hot in it. Do not put hot food or liquid in the plastic because it will leach out 55 times faster!
This is something that environment groups have known for years...but what is it?
Bisphenol A is a chemical found in shatter-proof hard plastics such as baby bottles, storage containers, water bottles, food containers...etc. The idea is that it is an "endocrine disruptor" in that it mimics the actions of estrogen.
Eek! The world does not need more estrogen! Our kids do not need more estrogen!
According to the article, the CDC reports that more than 90 percent of Americans are exposed to trace amounts of bisphenol. The chemical leaches out of water bottles, the lining of cans and other items made with it.
One state, New Jersey, has already passed a bill banning the sale of plastic with bisphenol in it. Canada's health system is also doing similar research and looking to report their findings soon.
What can you do?
Don't use plastic. If you must use plastic then absolutely do not store anything hot in it. Do not put hot food or liquid in the plastic because it will leach out 55 times faster!
Use glass containers to both drink out of and store your food.
Here's to a healthier you and a healthier environment!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Vitamin D - Much More than a Sunny Day!
Did you know that Vitamin D is really a super powered steroid hormone with multiple functions in your body beyond correcting rickets disease?
Did you know that even if you stand outside in the sun chances are you don't absorb very much because you're wearing sunglasses and SPF sunblock which limits Vitamin D from entering your body?
Did you know common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are muscular weakness, feeling of heaviness in the legs, chronic musculoskeletal pain, easy tiring, fatigue, and low mood in the darker/dreary seasons?
Did you know that optimal levels of Vitamin D 'may' help with some cancers, the flu, autism, asthma, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease in addition to curing rickets and osteomalacia?
Do you know what your Vitamin D levels are?
A most brilliant article came out in the March 2008 Alternative Medicine Review entitled, Use of Vitamin D in Clinical Practice by Dr. John Cannell and Dr. Bruce Hollis. According to the authors, healthy humans should be supplemented with enough vitamin D or exposed to enough ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation to achieve 25(OH) vitamin D levels of 40-70 ng/mL year-round.
But I get plenty of sun-time, you say?
Factors affecting UVB exposure and the skin's production of Vitamin D include latitude, season of the year, time of day, air pollution, cloud cover, melanin content (how dark is your skin), use of sunblock, age, obesity, and the extent of clothes covering your body.
Because melanin in the skin acts just like a sunscreen, dark-skinned individuals need much longer UVB exposure than fair-skinned folks. Also, body fat absorbs vitamin D right into those fat cells without letting the rest of the body use this great hormone.
Okay, I get it so what type of lab-work should I have done?
Ask your doctor for a 25,OH Vitamin D test (do NOT get the 1,25,OH vitamin D test). Optimal levels are between 40-70 ng/mL although many researchers and clinicians aim for above 50 ng/Ml.
What if I am deficient?
Many health providers who do not know about vitamin D will worry about vitamin D toxicity which is second to an elevated level of calcium in your body. This is VERY uncommon but begins to occur when your vitamin D levels reach and exceed 150 ng/ml. Remember, you want to be somewhere between 40-70 ng/mL.
Keeping in mind your risk of skin cancer, getting outside and enjoying the sun in small increments without sunblock is a great way to increase your levels. Once you get a bit of unblocked sun...you can rub on your SPF sunscreen and/or cover-up and continue with your activity.
If you plan on taking vitamin D supplements, always do so under the supervision of a healthcare provider and make sure you are monitoring your vitamin D and serum calcium levels every 3-4 months when taking higher levels. Make sure your supplement is D3 or cholecalciferol and NOT the inferior form D2 or ergocalciferol. D2 (ergo) is not human vitamin D, acts much weaker, is not normally present in humans, and produces metabolic by-products not normally found in humans.
Before you go supplementing with vitamin D above 2000 IU/day, get your labs done and talk with a healthcare provider who is skilled at the ins and outs of this powerful vitamin hormone.
Three cheers for Vitamin D!
Did you know that even if you stand outside in the sun chances are you don't absorb very much because you're wearing sunglasses and SPF sunblock which limits Vitamin D from entering your body?
Did you know common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are muscular weakness, feeling of heaviness in the legs, chronic musculoskeletal pain, easy tiring, fatigue, and low mood in the darker/dreary seasons?
Did you know that optimal levels of Vitamin D 'may' help with some cancers, the flu, autism, asthma, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease in addition to curing rickets and osteomalacia?
Do you know what your Vitamin D levels are?
A most brilliant article came out in the March 2008 Alternative Medicine Review entitled, Use of Vitamin D in Clinical Practice by Dr. John Cannell and Dr. Bruce Hollis. According to the authors, healthy humans should be supplemented with enough vitamin D or exposed to enough ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation to achieve 25(OH) vitamin D levels of 40-70 ng/mL year-round.
But I get plenty of sun-time, you say?
Factors affecting UVB exposure and the skin's production of Vitamin D include latitude, season of the year, time of day, air pollution, cloud cover, melanin content (how dark is your skin), use of sunblock, age, obesity, and the extent of clothes covering your body.
Because melanin in the skin acts just like a sunscreen, dark-skinned individuals need much longer UVB exposure than fair-skinned folks. Also, body fat absorbs vitamin D right into those fat cells without letting the rest of the body use this great hormone.
Okay, I get it
Ask your doctor for a 25,OH Vitamin D test (do NOT get the 1,25,OH vitamin D test). Optimal levels are between 40-70 ng/mL although many researchers and clinicians aim for above 50 ng/Ml.
What if I am deficient?
Many health providers who do not know about vitamin D will worry about vitamin D toxicity which is second to an elevated level of calcium in your body. This is VERY uncommon but begins to occur when your vitamin D levels reach and exceed 150 ng/ml. Remember, you want to be somewhere between 40-70 ng/mL.
Keeping in mind your risk of skin cancer, getting outside and enjoying the sun in small increments without sunblock is a great way to increase your levels. Once you get a bit of unblocked sun...you can rub on your SPF sunscreen and/or cover-up and continue with your activity.
If you plan on taking vitamin D supplements, always do so under the supervision of a healthcare provider and make sure you are monitoring your vitamin D and serum calcium levels every 3-4 months when taking higher levels. Make sure your supplement is D3 or cholecalciferol and NOT the inferior form D2 or ergocalciferol. D2 (ergo) is not human vitamin D, acts much weaker, is not normally present in humans, and produces metabolic by-products not normally found in humans.
Before you go supplementing with vitamin D above 2000 IU/day, get your labs done and talk with a healthcare provider who is skilled at the ins and outs of this powerful vitamin hormone.
Three cheers for Vitamin D!
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