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11th Jul 2010
Latest on pregnancy
Increasingly, the composition of gut bacteria has been related to a range of health outcomes. Now, a new study has examined whether gut bacteria are related to markers of health in pregnant women.
Faecal and blood samples were taken from 34 healthy weight women and 16 overweight women who were 24 weeks into pregnancy. It was found that the composition of gut bacteria varied with bodyweight. For example, overweight women had higher levels of Staphylococcus bacteria in their faecal samples which, in turn, was related to increased blood cholesterol levels. Differences in gut bacteria between lean and obese individuals have been reported by other human and animal studies. However, it is not clear whether the gut bacteria composition influences the risk of obesity, or vice versa.
Another study measured vitamin D status in nearly 4000 women in early pregnancy and related this to pregnancy outcomes. Women categorised as ‘vitamin D deficient’ (serum vitamin D <29.9nmol/l) went on to deliver lower birth weight babies (less than 2500g) and had a higher risk of delivering small-for-gestational age babies (smaller than average at term).
Similarly, Hyppönen et al. (2010) reported that supplementing women with vitamin D during pregnancy may help to prevent hypocalcaemia and rickets in infancy. The UK is the only country (out of 31) that does not recommend additional vitamin D in women of reproductive age. Indeed there are no Dietary Reference Values for vitamin D for women unless they are pregnant, lactating or elderly. Given recent evidence suggesting that pregnant women tend to have a poor vitamin D status, there may be a case for reviewing the situation.
For more information see: Santacruz A et al. (2010) British Journal of Nutrition 104(1), pg 83-92; Leffelaar ER et al. (2010) British Journal of Nutrition 104(1), pg 108-17 and Hyppönen et al. (2010) British Journal of Nutrition [Epub ahead of print].
Faecal and blood samples were taken from 34 healthy weight women and 16 overweight women who were 24 weeks into pregnancy. It was found that the composition of gut bacteria varied with bodyweight. For example, overweight women had higher levels of Staphylococcus bacteria in their faecal samples which, in turn, was related to increased blood cholesterol levels. Differences in gut bacteria between lean and obese individuals have been reported by other human and animal studies. However, it is not clear whether the gut bacteria composition influences the risk of obesity, or vice versa.
Another study measured vitamin D status in nearly 4000 women in early pregnancy and related this to pregnancy outcomes. Women categorised as ‘vitamin D deficient’ (serum vitamin D <29.9nmol/l) went on to deliver lower birth weight babies (less than 2500g) and had a higher risk of delivering small-for-gestational age babies (smaller than average at term).
Similarly, Hyppönen et al. (2010) reported that supplementing women with vitamin D during pregnancy may help to prevent hypocalcaemia and rickets in infancy. The UK is the only country (out of 31) that does not recommend additional vitamin D in women of reproductive age. Indeed there are no Dietary Reference Values for vitamin D for women unless they are pregnant, lactating or elderly. Given recent evidence suggesting that pregnant women tend to have a poor vitamin D status, there may be a case for reviewing the situation.
For more information see: Santacruz A et al. (2010) British Journal of Nutrition 104(1), pg 83-92; Leffelaar ER et al. (2010) British Journal of Nutrition 104(1), pg 108-17 and Hyppönen et al. (2010) British Journal of Nutrition [Epub ahead of print].