Women who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy and took higher-dose folic acid supplements delivered infants with better fetal growth than smokers who took standard-dose folic acid,
Nutrition during first 1,000 days of life crucial for childhood and economic development – Over 3 million children die every year of malnutrition-accounting for nearly half of all child deaths under 5, revealed by researchers in Lancet series on maternal and childhood nutrition.
Coffee and tea during pregnancy affect fetal growth – Drinking just two cups of coffee a day is associated with the risk of low birth weight. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have conducted a study on 59,000 women in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Premature birth may increase risk of epilepsy later in life — Preemies are at higher risk of epilepsy later in life – Being born prematurely may increase your risk of developing epilepsy as an adult, revealed by researchers in a new study published in the Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
US birth weights on the decline — U.S. infants are getting smaller – Birth weights in US have declined during the past 15 years, revealed by researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Department of Population Medicine.
Each pound at birth lowers risk of developing TB — Just one more pound may help a newborn avoid tuberculosis later in life. – Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at how much protection additional birth weight added against developing the disease years later. They found that every 1.1 pounds of birth weight decreases the risk of developing tuberculosis later by 46 percent among identical twins.
Diabetes gene raises odds of lower birth weight – Gene previously shown to be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes also predisposes children to having a lower birth weight, revealed by researchers.
Report updates guidelines on how much weight women should gain during pregnancy – Calls on health care providers to help women achieve a healthy weight before and during pregnancy. – A growing amount of scientific evidence indicates that how much weight women gain during pregnancy and their starting weight at conception can affect their health and that of their babies, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.
Developing a genetic test for pregnancy risks – analysis of mum’s and dad’s DNA can predict and enhance pregnancy success. – University of Adelaide researchers are developing a world-first genetic test that can predict which pregnancies are at risk of complications long before symptoms arise.
Pollution is another risk factor for impaired fetal growth – Exposure to traffic pollution could affect fetal development during pregnancy and lead to an increased chance of having a small baby.
