Women's Health

The Health Benefits of Prebiotics

Many Americans make an effort to eat probiotic foods or take a supplement containing these important gut bacteria. The health benefits of maintaining a healthy gut biome, as supported by probiotic supplements, are undeniable. However, there is another less-known supplement that may help your GI tract work at its best: prebiotics. Researchers are just beginning to realize the health benefits of prebiotics for whole-body health.

The Gut-Brain Connection

A well-functioning gastrointestinal system is essential to our health. Our body needs to break food down into the smallest building blocks and absorb these building blocks in order to survive. In addition, gut health has been found to have an effect on our overall health in a variety of ways. Our intestines are a major site of serotonin production, a neurotransmitter which can affect our mood and cognitive function. What’s more, the enteric nervous system located in our gut appears to be a major player in endocrine (hormone) regulation. Almost every week brings a new discovery about how important our GI tracts are to our health and well-being.

However, many people in the modern world struggle to achieve healthy digestion, absorption, and elimination, including 60 to 70 million people in the United States alone. Our modern diets don’t incorporate enough of the fruits, vegetables and whole grains needed to keep our gut moving at a steady pace. In addition, we are exposed to antibiotics when we are ill, when we clean with antimicrobial cleaners and even in our water. These antibiotics kill gut bacteria, which can compromise our own health.

What Are Prebiotics?

The gut microbiome is an important key to good gastrointestinal function. In our guts live millions of helpful bacteria that perform a variety of essential roles. They help digest food, produce essential vitamins, and contribute to healthy immune function. New research suggests that gut health may be even more important than previously thought, linking the health of our digestive system to healthy weight and even cancer risk.

Probiotics are the “good” bacteria that have been shown to create the best environment when living in our guts. It is important to take a probiotic supplement, but supplementation alone does not guarantee that these beneficial bacteria will thrive. This is where prebiotics come in. Prebiotics function as food for these beneficial bacteria and help to make the intestines a better place for them to live. Prebiotics are indigestible, which means that they are not absorbed into our GI tracts. They are easily fermented by bacteria for energy, ensuring that your probiotic bacteria have the ingredients they need to thrive and help you thrive as well. While most of us eat prebiotics in whole foods such as banana, leeks, onion and garlic, many people do not get enough in their diet and can benefit from a supplement.

The Health Benefits of Prebiotics

New research is showing that the health benefits of prebiotics may extend beyond our gastrointestinal tracts. People who supplement with prebiotics have healthier digestion and are even less likely to be overweight or obese. In addition, prebiotics appear to promote a healthy inflammatory response, helping to lessen the symptoms of a variety of conditions such as asthma. In fact, a recent study found that people who take a prebiotic supplement have lower levels of inflammatory markers in their blood, suggesting significantly less immune overreaction. Other studies have found that prebiotics may promote cardiovascular health and healthy cholesterol levels within normal ranges.

Getting Prebiotics in Your Diet

There are a few ways that you can get more prebiotics in your diet. First, you can choose foods that are rich in these indigestible starches. Second, you can switch from a probiotic supplement to one that provides both prebiotics and probiotics. Many people prefer these supplements because it makes sense to swallow the bacteria’s “food” along with the bacteria. In addition, taking a single supplement is just simpler.

If you seek optimal health both in your GI tract and the rest of your body, taking a prebiotic supplement may be beneficial. It makes sense to feed the bacteria that help your body to thrive in so many diverse ways.

Are Prenatal Vitamins a Pregnancy Necessity?

Jul 22 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

It’s a long-held belief that all expecting mothers should take a prenatal vitamin formula to reduce the risk of birth defects, nutrient deficiencies and other health problems. However, there are always skeptics who chime in as to why supplementing with extra nutrients may not actually be necessary while pregnant. If you’re on the fence, here is some of the latest information supporting the importance of supplementing with a prenatal vitamin while pregnant.

Folic Acid Is Crucial

Folic acid is also known as folate or vitamin B9. This vitamin is needed for the synthesis and creation of DNA, the production of red blood cells, the metabolism of amino acids, and for the growth of the placenta and fetus. A woman’s need for folic acid increases during pregnancy. Although the United States started fortifying grain products with vitamin B9 in 1998, most women still don’t get enough of it.

Taking folic acid is essential for reducing the risk of neural tube defects. This type of birth defect can be very severe,and some of these defects have a very low survival rate and life expectancy. One well-known neural tube defect is spina bifida, which occurs when the membranes around the spinal cord do not close completely. Spina bifida usually requires after-birth surgery and periodic medical attention throughout life. Another example of a neural tube defect is anencephaly, in which the baby is born lacking a cerebrum, which is the largest part of the brain.

Although neural tube defects are a terrible thing for a mother to experience, it’s also easy to greatly reduce your unborn child’s risk. In countries where flour is fortified with folic acid, there is a 46 percent lower rate of neural tube defects. You can bring the number down even further by simply taking a prenatal supplement with folic acid every day.

Folic acid may also help prevent other birth defects including heart defects and cleft palate, though more research is needed to confirm this. Additionally, because neural tube defects take place before most women even know they are pregnant, it’s important to start taking a prenatal vitamin formula with folic acid as soon as you start trying to conceive.

Other Benefits of Prenatal Supplements

Folic acid is arguably the most important prenatal vitamin that you should take. However, there are a few other nutrients with pregnancy benefits that you should learn about.

It is prudent for expecting mothers to take a supplement with vitamin D. Although vitamin D is obtained through sunlight, fortified dairy, fatty fish and egg yolk, most Americans still don’t get enough of it. Being deficient in vitamin D may increase your risk of preeclampsia, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, low birth weight, preterm birth, gestational diabetes and the need for caesarean delivery.

Calcium is one of few nutrients that your body takes from its own stores in order to help your baby grow. This means that if you aren’t getting enough calcium in your diet, your body will take it from your bones and teeth. You can reduce your risk of lifelong bone density problems by taking a prenatal vitamin formula containing calcium.

Some of the other most important nutrients to look for in a prenatal supplement include iron, iodine, choline and omega-3 fatty acids.

So, Do I Need a Prenatal Vitamin?

There remain some people who argue against the benefits of taking a prenatal vitamin formula. Skeptics raise some good points, such as the fact that you don’t necessarily need to supplement every single vitamin and mineral. However, the reality is that most Americans fall short when it comes to many key nutrients and that your need for certain vitamins like vitamin D and folic acid do rise during pregnancy. What’s more, nutrient deficiencies in the mother have more severe effects in babies. Ultimately, research supports incorporating a comprehensive prenatal vitamin formulation into your prenatal care program during pregnancy and beyond, while breastfeeding.

One study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility called the “Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment Study” found that women who take a prenatal multivitamin daily during pregnancy have a 55 percent lower risk of losing their baby. Other studies have found consistent reductions in the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and preterm birth.

Some people are more likely to highly benefit from taking a prenatal multivitamin formula than others. Supplementation during pregnancy is even more crucial for teenage mothers, women who smoke or have a history of using other substances, women who have suffered from eating disorders, women who take certain medications, vegetarians and vegans and women who are carrying twins, triplets, or beyond. However, taking a high-quality prenatal vitamin formula is a necessity for all women who are expecting or trying to conceive. This is confirmed by several health authorities: the Endocrine Society, the American Thyroid Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics all recommend multivitamins during pregnancy. Despite what the skeptics say, most OBGYNs and family doctors also recommend supplementing with a prenatal vitamin formula.

Grape Polyphenols Proven to Help Neutralize Effects of a High-Fat Diet

May 18 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

When it comes right down to it, the typical Western diet is not a healthy one. Americans and a growing number of Europeans eat high levels of fat, including saturated fats that are known to be a health hazard. In fact, modern medical research blames much of the prevalence of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease on our diet. While the Western diet may be the cause of many of our societal health woes, there may be simple and healthy ways to mitigate the damage.

Grape Polyphenols and Your Health

Grape polyphenols are organic molecules that occur naturally in grapes and other fruits. They are present throughout the fruit, but especially high in the skins of the fruit and its leaves. These compounds are rumored to have a variety of positive health effects, from improving cardiovascular risk factors to acting as cancer-protective antioxidants. Researchers decided to look at whether these grape compounds really can improve our health and if so, how they accomplish this.

In the first major study of grape polyphenols, researchers tested the effects of supplementing with grape polyphenols on people who eat a diet that is 33 percent fat, which is similar to the diet currently eaten in the United States. The subjects’ diets were also comprised of three percent grapes, which means they were getting lots of grape polyphenols. After 11 weeks, participants saw a reduction in body fat as well as a variety of positive health benefits. Their metabolic profile was better. Their intestinal microbes were more balanced and contained more health-friendly strains. Gut function was also improved.

A second study looked at the effects of grape polyphenols on an even more unhealthy diet, with 44 percent of calories coming from fat. This diet included a wide range of saturated fat to mimic the more extremely unhealthy diets that have been associated with increased disease risk. When people eating this diet also took in five percent grapes, they did not see any metabolic improvement, but their overall health still improved. Subcutaneous fat deposits were reduced, liver health improved and microbial balance in the intestines was better.

The Power of Grapes

Grapes have always been a healthy snack, but this research suggests that they offer more health benefits than the average fruit. There have been many studies linking grape polyphenols to better health, more balanced gut flora and more. In fact, this tiny plant compound is believed to be the reason French people eat a high-fat diet yet enjoy better health than Americans: They drink a great deal of red wine, which contains grape polyphenols.

The effects of polyphenols in humans are not surprising considering their role in plants. Grapes are rich in this compound because it protects them from the sun, prevents bacterial infection, and repels animal predators. In addition, grape polyphenols give red and black grapes their distinctive pigments. Polyphenols appear to play a similarly positive role in the human body.

Adding More Polyphenols to Your Diet

While grape polyphenols are most studied type, they are not the only polyphenols. People who wish to get more of this disease-preventing nutrient in their diet can eat them in a variety of foods including green tea, cloves and chocolate. While grape polyphenols appear to be especially good for health; the other sources of polyphenols have all been found to fight disease and help support a healthy lifestyle. In addition, people can also take a supplement that contains grape polyphenols to get the health benefits without having to eat the fruit.

New information is constantly coming out about the effects of our diet on our health. Grapes appear to be an especially positive choice, with plenty of polyphenols, resveratrol, and other disease-fighting compounds. These little fruits may not just taste great, but protect us from disease as well.

The Top Four Essential Pregnancy Vitamins and Nutrients

May 11 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Pregnancy is a time of high nutritional needs for both the mother and the unborn child. During pregnancy, not only must you support your own body through many huge changes, but you also need to provide the basic building blocks of nutrition so your baby can grow and flourish. While doctors encourage getting as many vitamins and nutrients as possible from a healthy diet, most will also recommend taking a prenatal vitamin formula to supplement the diet. Taking pregnancy vitamins with a full range of essential vitamins and minerals will ensure that you and your baby are getting the nutrition you need during this crucial developmental period.

Pregnancy Vitamins and Minerals: Building Blocks for a Healthy Baby

While not all people have the same nutritional needs, there are a few commonalities that apply to most. This is also true for pregnant women. While all humans suffer health consequences from a lack of vitamins, the effects of vitamin and mineral deficiencies are more severe in developing babies. For this reason, most doctors recommend that pregnant women take prenatal or pregnancy vitamins to ensure the healthiest pregnancy possible. Although a wide variety of vitamins and minerals are necessary in adequate amounts for a healthy pregnancy and baby, four specific nutrients are particularly important.

Folic Acid and Development

Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients for a growing baby. In fact, doctors recommend that all women of childbearing age take this vitamin because of how crucial it is in early pregnancy. In the first three or four weeks of pregnancy, your baby’s neural tube will form into the spinal cord and brain. A deficiency of folic acid can cause defects in this process. Getting enough folic acid is also important throughout the rest of pregnancy, as it necessary for making the red blood cells that carry oxygen to developing organs and tissues.

Calcium: Building Strong Bones and Teeth

Because your baby’s bones and teeth are just developing, they require a great deal of calcium. Calcium is one of only a few nutrients that your body will take from your own stores in order to help your growing baby. This means that women who are not taking in enough calcium for both themselves and their unborn baby must take a supplement, or risk losing calcium from their bones and suffering serious lifelong bone density issues. Many women in past generations lost teeth or suffered from osteoporosis because of pregnancy-related bone loss. The good news is that a healthy diet and pregnancy vitamins should give you and your baby both all the calcium you need.

Prevent Anemia with Iron

When you’re pregnant, your body must make a great deal more blood. Because it is hard to get all of the iron you need to support this increased blood volume from diet alone, anemia is very common in pregnant women. In fact, half of all pregnant women are anemic. Mild anemia will make you feel tired and pale, but severe anemia can compromise your health as well as your baby’s. Anemia is easily treated in most women with high-quality pregnancy vitamins.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Essential Elements of Prenatal Nutrition

A growing body of evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids, often available in the form of fish oil supplements, are an essential part of nutrition, especially in pregnancy. Two particular omega-3s called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are especially crucial. EPA helps your baby build a healthy heart and immune system, and it may even help protect against autoimmune disease. DHA, on the other hand, helps the eyes, brain and central nervous system to work optimally. Because fish is not a huge part of the Western diet, many pregnant women in the U.S. and Europe are deficient in these important nutrients. For this reason, most doctors recommend taking pregnancy vitamins that contain DHA and EPA.

Are All Pregnancy Vitamins Created Equal?

Most prenatal vitamins contain the basic elements needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy when taken in conjunction with a healthy diet. However, there is often a wide range of difference in both quantities of certain nutrients and quality of ingredients among the various pregnancy vitamins on the market today. In addition, many formulas do not contain omega-3 fatty acids because the research on these oils is relatively new and the technology to incorporate fatty acids into a capsule or tablet is cost-prohibitive. As a result, pregnant women must often take an omega-3 supplement in addition to their regular prenatal or pregnancy vitamins. Finding a prenatal vitamin formula that incorporates the omega-3 fatty acids needed for brain and nervous system health is ideal. As with all supplements, you should talk to your doctor about which type of pregnancy vitamin formula is the best choice for you and your baby.

Are you ready to have the healthiest possible pregnancy? Getting the best possible nutrition, including eating a healthy diet and taking prenatal vitamins, is an important way you can support your baby’s growth and help him or her develop the foundation for a lifetime of good health.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Pregnancy: The Serious Consequences for Mother and Baby

Apr 06 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Vitamin D is a crucial vitamin for a variety of cell processes. Many modern people don’t get enough of this essential nutrient, a situation which can have serious health effects. New research suggests that the effects of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy can be especially devastating and links low vitamin D levels to lifelong health problems for the fetus, including multiple sclerosis.

The Role of Vitamin D in the Human Body

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that is available in animal products such as fish, eggs and cheeses. In addition, many people get vitamin D from sun exposure. However, vitamin D deficiency is very common. Because it plays a crucial role in bone strength and immune system health, being deficient can have very negative effects. People who have low vitamin D can get brittle bones as well as a variety of cancers. In addition, there appears to be a link between vitamin D deficiency, especially during pregnancy, and autoimmune disease.

The Importance of Vitamin D in Pregnancy

Vitamin D levels have been linked to a variety of pregnancy conditions, including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and cesarean delivery. These can all have serious effects on both mother and baby. Pre-eclampsia, which is more likely in women with vitamin D deficiency, threatens the life of both mother and child and often makes a premature delivery necessary.

In addition, a deficiency of vitamin D during pregnancy can have direct life-altering effects on the fetus. Low maternal vitamin D has been linked to risks such as dental problems, lifelong lowering of bone density, and type 1 diabetes.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Multiple Sclerosis

Vitamin D has been shown in studies to have a protective effect against multiple sclerosis. This is likely the reason that people in far northern latitudes with less sunshine are more likely to develop this disease. New research suggests that a mother’s vitamin D intake can affect their daughters for years to come. In a recent study, women born to a mother who had low vitamin D levels during pregnancy were found to be significantly more likely to develop multiple sclerosis.

While the reason for this link is still unproven, there are several hypotheses about how this could happen. Most of these relate to the role of vitamin D in the immune system. Vitamin D decreases levels of inflammatory immune molecules that have been implicated in a wide variety of autoimmune diseases. This may prevent the neurological damage associated with multiple sclerosis from occurring.

Pregnancy Nutrition: Essential for Mother and Child

Good nutrition is one of the most important factors in a pregnant woman’s health, as well as that of her baby. Because of this, doctors test pregnant women for deficiencies of important nutrients such as iron and frequently recommend prenatal supplements that provide vitamins like folic acid, which are proven essential building blocks for a healthy pregnancy.

Is it time for a change in the way vitamin D is prescribed for pregnant women? Most obstetricians expect that women get plenty of this nutrient in their diets and via multivitamins. Pregnant women are not tested for a deficiency in this important nutrient unless they are having extreme symptoms. The result is that many women may unknowingly not be getting the amount of vitamin D needed for optimal maternal and fetal health.

Vitamin D is not the first vitamin to be implicated as an important factor in whole body health. Eating foods that include a wide variety of vitamins and minerals is essential to cell function and overall well-being. Optimal nutrition, including taking supplements as needed, is the best medicine for many people and is especially important during pregnancy.