Birth Defects Increase – Could it be the Result of Low Carb Diets?
Years ago, scientists realized that folate deficiencies led to the occurence of serious birth defects of the spine and brain, known as neural tube defects. Folate is a naturally occurring B vitamin. An artificial version, which is more easily metabolized by the body, is folic acid.
As a result, the government started urging women to eat cereals and breads fortified with folic acid to help prevent these birth defects. By the late 1990s, the fortification campaigns were succeeding: Folate levels increased, and neural tube defects dropped by as many as 1,000 a year.
But a recent CDC study just found an 8 percent to 16 percent decline in folate levels in U.S. women of childbearing age, according to large blood-drawing surveys done between 1999 and 2004.
This is the first time such a decline has been seen since the start of government health campaigns urging women to make sure they get enough folic acid. The decline was most pronounced in white women, although black women continue to be the racial group with the least folate in their blood,.
The study was based on a regular national survey that involves not only interviews but physical examinations and blood tests. It measured the blood of about 4,500 women, ages 15 to 44, between 1999 and 2004.
Experts are speculating as to why the sudden drop after seeing success in encouraging women to eat more fortified breads and cereals, and the one that they are focusing on the most, especially considering the population this has impacted the most, is the popularity of the low carb diets in the early 2000s. Women of child bearing age were cutting out the breads and cereals in their diets in an attempt to lose weight by eliminating carbohydrates from their diet. This also leads to a decrease in folic acid.
Two other theories that experts have considered is that today there are more women who are obese, and their need of folic acid may actually be higher than they are eating. The third theory is perhaps more people are eating more whole grain products, which have less fortified folic acid.
If you are a woman of child bearing age, regardless of your weight or your eating habits, your future children’s health could be in your hands: Don’t take this lightly! If you avoid breads and cereals, even supplements are beneficial. A daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid is recommended. Today only 1/3rd of all women of child-bearing age take a folic acid supplement every day, however.
If you are in your late teens or early 20’s, even if you don’t think you’ll ever have children, things change in life, so prepare your health and your body for the best health possible. If not for you, at least for your possible children you may have in the future. Giving birth to a child with birth defects is a hard part of life to deal with. When it’s a condition that can be avoided, why take that risk?
As a result, the government started urging women to eat cereals and breads fortified with folic acid to help prevent these birth defects. By the late 1990s, the fortification campaigns were succeeding: Folate levels increased, and neural tube defects dropped by as many as 1,000 a year.
But a recent CDC study just found an 8 percent to 16 percent decline in folate levels in U.S. women of childbearing age, according to large blood-drawing surveys done between 1999 and 2004.
This is the first time such a decline has been seen since the start of government health campaigns urging women to make sure they get enough folic acid. The decline was most pronounced in white women, although black women continue to be the racial group with the least folate in their blood,.
The study was based on a regular national survey that involves not only interviews but physical examinations and blood tests. It measured the blood of about 4,500 women, ages 15 to 44, between 1999 and 2004.
Experts are speculating as to why the sudden drop after seeing success in encouraging women to eat more fortified breads and cereals, and the one that they are focusing on the most, especially considering the population this has impacted the most, is the popularity of the low carb diets in the early 2000s. Women of child bearing age were cutting out the breads and cereals in their diets in an attempt to lose weight by eliminating carbohydrates from their diet. This also leads to a decrease in folic acid.
Two other theories that experts have considered is that today there are more women who are obese, and their need of folic acid may actually be higher than they are eating. The third theory is perhaps more people are eating more whole grain products, which have less fortified folic acid.
If you are a woman of child bearing age, regardless of your weight or your eating habits, your future children’s health could be in your hands: Don’t take this lightly! If you avoid breads and cereals, even supplements are beneficial. A daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid is recommended. Today only 1/3rd of all women of child-bearing age take a folic acid supplement every day, however.
If you are in your late teens or early 20’s, even if you don’t think you’ll ever have children, things change in life, so prepare your health and your body for the best health possible. If not for you, at least for your possible children you may have in the future. Giving birth to a child with birth defects is a hard part of life to deal with. When it’s a condition that can be avoided, why take that risk?
posted by Margie Geiser, MBA, RD, NSCA-CPT at
7:43 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home