Birth Defects: What Happens

Birth defects result from important alterations in DNA and genes. Women who have low levels of sugars have a heightened probability of delivering a kid. This segment focuses on common birth defects that may be avoided, or ameliorated after birth, through nutritional supplements and improved diet.

CLEFT LIP AND PALATE

A cleft lip, which can be frequent, is a split in the middle of the lip, whereas a cleft palate is characterized by a hole in the roof of the mouth. Collectively they are among the most common of all birth defects.

SPINA BIFIDA

In spina bifida, the neural tube( which then grows into the brain and spine, fails to close during the first couple of gestation.Very moderate cases may be identified by just a tuft of hair in the bottom of the spinal column. In more severe cases, the spinal cord is exposed in the dawn. Nerve damage, paralysis of the body, and a lack of bladder control are consequences of spina bifida. Encephalocele, in which the brain protrudes through the skull, along with anencephaly is included by other kinds of defects.

DOWN SYNDROME

This frequent genetic disorder is characterized by the occurrence of a third replica of this twenty-first chromosome (and all of the genes normally found on that chromosome). It ends in "mongoloid" physical features, mental retardation, a larger risk of developing leukemia and also early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and decreased life expectancy.Although the underlying genetic disorder causing Down syndrome cannot be changed, a lot of those associated biochemical problems can be circumvented through high-dose vitamin and nutrient supplements along with thyroid medications, leading to enhanced intelligence and appearance.

CHILDHOOD BRAIN CANCER

Though technically not a birth defect, the maturation of brain cancer early in existence points into subtle, as-yet-unidentified prenatal defects or harm to brain-cell DNA.At least nine studies have demonstrated that pregnant women who consume large quantities N-nitroso chemicalsare found in hot dogs and lots of luncheon meats, have children with a substantially higher risk of brain cancer.

The Gene Connection

Women who carry polymorphisms in the gene programming for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), and women who do not consume adequate amounts of folic acid (along with other B vitamins)are far more likely to have kids with cleft lip, cleft palate, along with spina bifida. Oleic acid and other B vitamins play roles in the production of DNA, necessary for the production of fresh cells. During pregnancy a woman's folic acid requirements grow to support the rapid growth of the fetus.

CLEFT LIP AND PALATE

Regine P. M. Steegers-Theunissen, Ph.D., of University Medical Center in the Netherlands recently compared the dietary habits of the mothers of 179 women who delivered children with a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both states with mothers of 204 children without the birth defects. Steegers-Theunissen reported in the Journal of Epidemiology that girls with polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene, who also consumed lower levels of dietary or supplemental folic acid, were six to eight times more likely to provide a child with cleft lip or palate.

SPINA BIFIDA

From the 1960s researchers at Wales noted that girls with low dietary intake of folic acid were more likely to have kids with spina bifida and other neural-tube defects. It took until the late 1980s for specialist societies and journals to officially recognize the fundamental importance of folic acid in preventing spina bifida. Research has indicated that some MTHFR poly-morphisms might increase the chance of spina bifida, most probably by lowering folic acid activity. Furthermore, animal studies have clearly shown that an elevated level of homocysteine (also the consequence of low B-vitamin amounts) is by itself toxic to embryos, resulting in spina bifida and other neural-tube defects.Today the March of Dimes, famous for the antipolio effort of the 1950s, has become a leading advocate of folic acid supplementation prior to and during pregnancy.

DOWN SYNDROME

Even though the role of poor maternal nutrition in the growth of Down syndrome has not yet been delineated, research on other kinds of birth defects factors being a element. Moreover, the chance of delivering an infant with Down syndrome includes a lady's age, indicating that age-related deterioration of a woman's eggs (and also the DNA in these eggs) plays a vital job. Researchers have proven that the DNA of individuals with Down syndrome is more vulnerable to free-radical damage and isn't efficient at repairing itself.

What You Can Do

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control recently reported that some supplement containing folic acid or folic acidreduces her risk of delivering a child with any type of birth defect.

CLEFT LIP AND CLEFT PALATE

Within her above-mentioned study, Steegers-Theunissen found that women who consumed large quantities of folic acid in foods (such as leafy green vegetables) or supplements had a comparatively low risk of bearing children with a cleft lip or a cleft palate. This lower risk was obvious in women with either MTHFR gene polymorphisms or a MTHFR gene. In a separate research, Scottish and Brazilian investigators discovered that had approximately a 40 percent lower risk of delivering children with either a cleft palate or a cleft lip.

As a rule of thumb, for those who are of childbearing age, choose a reasonably high-potency multivitamin supplement with 400 mcg of folic acid. Take a multivitamin supplement, when you have given birth to a child with a cleft lip or a cleft palate and intend to become pregnant again and boost your folic acid intake mcg day. Ask your doctor to measure your levels, if you were born with a cleft lip or a cleft palate; the birth defect might increase your own B-vitamin requirements.

SPINA BIFIDA

Researchers have clearly demonstrated that folic acid supplements (400 to 800 mcg per day) or multivitamins containing folic acid can significantly reduce a woman's risk of delivering an infant with spina bifida or other neural-tube defects. The time of supplementation is very crucial. The neural tube forms and closes between the seventeenth and thirtieth days following conception (approximately four to six weeks after a woman's last menstrual period)—which is normally before most women realize they are pregnant. Taking supplements following this time won't lower the risk of birth defects. Because of this that the March of Dimes, the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), along with other organizations recommend that all women of childbearing age take a daily multivitamin that contains 400 mcg of folic acid.

If you already have had a pregnancy affected by spina bifida (or other neural-tube defect, the USPHS recommends that you take 400 mcg of folic acid daily if you are not likely to get pregnant. But if you've sent a baby with spina bifida and also you do intend to become pregnant again, the USPHS recommends that you take 4,000 mcg of folic acid daily beginning a minumum of one month before trying to become pregnant.

Lest we ignore the general daily diet, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that women who ate large amounts of dietary sugars (like sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup), additional highly refined carbohydrates, along with potatoes had a higher risk of delivering babies with spina bifida and other neural-tube flaws. Such a diet is typically low in B vitamins, standard protein, and veggies.

DOWN SYNDROME

In the 1950s Dr. Henry Turkel started developing a blueprint for treating a number of the hereditary effects of Down syndrome. His plan, which grew out of his previous work on genetics and biochemistry, consisted of giving patients with Down syndrome moderately significant levels of minerals and vitamins, and some prescription medications (for example, thyroid medication). Turkel revealed that the mixture of vitamins, nutritional supplements, and drugs could offset a number of the devastating consequences of Down syndrome. While his application cannot change the genetic cause of Down syndrome, it did appear to improve receptor function and biochemistry.

Turkel found that the sooner a child began receiving supplements, the more normal her or his intelligence and appearance would be by the mid- to late teens.Although Turkel was known for his role in developing lifesaving medical equipment during World War II, his work with Down syndrome has been largely ignored by medical organizations. Many individuals have continued recommending supplements similar to Turkel's, including Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., the director of the Autism Research Institute at San Diego ([619] 281-7165 or even www.autism.com/ari/), and Kent MacLeod, B.Sc. Pharm., of Nutri-Chem in Ottawa, Ontario ([613] 820-9065 or even www.nutrichem.com).

Recent research about nutrition and Down syndrome appears consistent with Turkel's findings. Dr. Bruce A. Yankner of the Harvard Medical School has reported that brain cells in children with Down syndrome create three to four times more free radicals, in comparison with normal kids. These radicals exacerbate damage to DNA, interfere with growth, and contribute to the increased the possibility of Alzheimer's disease.

Yankner reported that antioxidants, such as Vitamin E and N-acetylcysteine, can, in test tubes, stop the destruction of brain cells obtained from children with Down syndrome. Researchers in the University of Chile have noted that vitamin E can decrease chromosome damage in lymphocytes obtained from individuals with Down syndrome. Study by Yankner suggested that impaired mitochrondrial function was involved in Down syndrome. That finding indicates that supplemental lipoic acid, vitamin Q10, also carnitine could be beneficial.

CHILDHOOD BRAIN CANCER

Dr. Susan Preston-Martin of this University of Southern California at Los Angeles led a team of international researchers who investigated the relationship between maternal use of multivitamins during pregnancy and the subsequent risk of brain cancer in children. Her study focused with brain cancer and kids. She found that women who took multivitamin supplements were, general, 40 percent less likely to get. Yet, women who took nutritional supplements needed kids with the smallest risk of brain cancer.