Study: Folic Acid in Early Pregnancy Associated With Reduced Risk of Severe Language Delay in Children

Any decent pediatrician can tell you how important it is for expectant mothers to keep up with their prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. During this time, it’s essential that both mothers and their developing babies have access to all the vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients their bodies require.

Among the most important of these essential nutrients is folic acid, sometimes also referred to as folate, or vitamin B9—a standard component of nearly all high-quality prenatal multivitamins. It has long been generally associated with proper neurological development during gestation and early infancy, as well as possibly helping to mitigate a number of other potential health risks, such as stroke and prostate cancer, later on in life.

While there exists little dispute among medical experts regarding the overall importance of folic acid, new findings recently presented by research scientists working with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, in Oslo, suggest however that the role it plays during pre and postnatal brain development may be even more important, and specific, than previously realized.

Between 1999 and 2010, the researchers collected and analyzed data on a total of 38,954 Norwegian children (18,998 girls, 19,956 boys) and their mothers in order to assess what effect, if any, prenatal folic acid supplementation had on language acquisition by age three.

When they compared the instances of severely delayed language development among children whose mothers supplemented with prenatal vitamins which contained folic acid with those who took prenatal vitamins which did not, as well as those children whose mothers did not use any form of prenatal vitamin whatsoever, the researchers were able to show a marked link between the use of folic acid enriched vitamins and decreased risk of language delay.

In addition to its benefit to pregnant mothers and their young, folic acid plays a vital role in the general health of cellular material. Without an ample supply of folic acid, the DNA and RNA synthesis required for ongoing cell replication and maintenance. Long term folate deficiency has also been linked to clinical depression and similar mental health conditions in adults.

Even armed with this knowledge, getting enough folic acid from diet alone can be difficult. Even more so for women are, or trying to become, pregnant. There are of course a handful of foods with folic acid, including liver and egg yolks, plus many vegetarian-friendly options, such as leafy green vegetables, peas, beans and other legumes, and brewer’s yeast.

The most effective method for expectant mothers to ensure they get their recommended daily allotment of folic acid is still however a good prenatal multivitamin supplement. Unfortunately, selecting the right prenatal vitamin can be a difficult task, especially for women who prefer to use natural organic vitamins rather than their prescription only counterparts.

Perfect Prenatal Multivitamins are easily some of the finest all-natural prenatal vitamins available anywhere. The are made with whole-food sourced ingredients, so they’re easy for the body to absorb and utilize, and also contain full range of live probiotic cultures hand selected to improve pregnancy.

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Study: Taking Probiotics During Pregnancy May Prevent Obesity & Assist Weightloss After Birth

Weight loss is something many women struggle with after pregnancy. And the unfortunate truth is, a good number of them were already carrying around an unhealthy amount of excess body fat even before they were pregnant.

Better understanding female obesity — before, during, and after pregnancy — is an important step in controlling the tide of obesity that continues to spread across the United States. And according to some researchers, there is a growing body of scientific evidence which suggests that probiotic bacteria may potentially hold the key to not only a better understanding of weight gain, but also how to prevent it.

In 2009, Nutritionist Kirsi Laitinen, of the University of Turku in Finland, discovered a link between the use of probiotic supplementation during early stages of pregnancy, and weight loss following birth.

She and her colleagues selected a total of 256 pregnant women during the first trimester of their respective pregnancies to participate in the study. The women were randomly divided into three groups: Members of the first group were given both probiotic supplements and dietary counseling geared specifically toward the needs of expecting mothers.

The second group was also given dietary counseling, but was issued placebo instead of actual probiotics. The final group of women were used as a control and received placebo medication but no counseling.

The individual women participating were each weighed at the start of the study, and continued to regularly take either probiotic or placebo supplements from that point until they had ceased breastfeeding their babies exclusively. At this point, the women were re-weighed and also had their waist circumference and skin-fold thickness measured. By comparing these figures with those taken at the beginning of the investigation, Laitinen and her team were able to calculate a 15 percent or greater reduction in obesity among members of the first group as compared to the other two.

While dangerous at any age, obesity is especially damaging during early childhood. A growing body of research indicates that children who are obese are significantly more prone to obesity as adults. Likewise there is an established connection between maternal obesity during pregnancy, impaired fetal development and an increased tendency towards obesity after birth.

Laitinen believes that the exchange of bacteria between mother and child via the umbilical cord during gestation, and breast milk thereafter, accounts for the bulk of this weight loss. However, she has cautioned that additional research is still needed before any definite conclusions can be reached.

Since the study’s conclusion, her team has continued monitoring the health of these participant mothers and their children. With any luck their initial and long term findings will prompt further investigation into the use of probiotic dietary supplementation to fight obesity in pregnant and nursing women, but also their offspring and society as a whole.

Kirsi Laitinen, senior lecturer at the University of Turku in Finland: “The results of our study, the first to demonstrate the impact of probiotics-supplemented dietary counselling on adiposity, were encouraging. The women who got the probiotics fared best. One year after childbirth, they had the lowest levels of central obesity as well as the lowest body fat percentage… There is growing evidence that this approach might open a new angle on the fight against obesity, either through prevention or treatment.” [1]

This isn’t the first clinical study to discuss the health benefits of probiotics. In fact, previous studies have shown that probiotics can help with a variety of ailments, including enhancing your immune system, preventing eczema, improving digestion, reducing yeast infections, alleviating common intestinal disorders and even acts as a remedy for bad breath.

When my wife was pregnant she took 2 capsules each of “Latero-Flora” and Garden of Life’s “Primal Defense Ultra” every other morning. Still to this day, we continue taking these probiotics at least once a week, as well as give our kids 1 capsule of each 1-2x every week. Whether or not you decide to take a probiotic supplement, I would highly recommend you add more of these probiotic foods to your daily diet.

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