Scope of the Research Proposal
The purpose of this study is to analyze the preventative effects of folic acid supplementation during preconception and pregnancy in women. Folic acid supplementation is a standard recommendation among a variety of vitamins and minerals during preconception and is said to prevent congenital defects, primarily neural tube defects in children. However, various studies suggest that folic acid supplementation is not directly correlated with the prevention of neural tube defects, but other factors such as socioeconomic status, healthcare, and education come into play (Banhidy, 2011). The use of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects is widely accepted and recommended by health professionals and researchers alike; delving deeper into this practice would be helpful in determining its effectiveness. The use of FA in early pregnancy and its association with 70% reduction risk of NTDs was studied. Faucher (2013) found that high maternal education level and low BMI lowers the risk of NTDs. Many research articles urge the use of folic acid supplementation during preconception in women because it was found that its use prevents the risk of NTDs. Researchers also suggest that folate has had a beneficial role in pregnant women and implies that it prevents the risk of NTDs in expectant mothers (Stamm & Houghton, 2013). FA supplementation and promotion towards mothers from healthcare professionals are also significant factors in NTD risk prevention (Tort, et. al, 2013). However, correlation does not imply causation and that some findings cannot establish causality (Berry, 2013). The goal of this research is to analyze the effects of folic acid and the research that contradicts its assumed preventative effects.
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Tort, J., Lelong, N., Prunet, C., Khoshnood, B., & Blondel, B. (2013). Maternal and health care determinants of preconceptional use of folic acid supplementation in france: Results from the 2010 national perinatal survey. Bjog-an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 120(13), 1661-1667. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.12414
Williamson, C., & Wyness, L. (2013). Nutritional requirements in pregnancy and use of dietary supplements. Community Practitioner, 86(8), 44-47. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=2012203053&site=ehost-live
Zhao, M., Chen, Y., Chen, X., Dong, X., Zhou, J., Wang, H., . . . Xu, D. (2014). Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced neural tube defects in mice. Toxicology Letters, 224(2), 201-208. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2013.10.021
Aspartame will increase the levels of phenylalanine on the foetal side of the placenta. Increased levels of phenylalanine can interfere with the growth of the foetal brain. As the foetus absorbs the nutrients from the food and drinks which the mother consumes, diet drinks are not recommended during pregnancy. When aspartame is metabolized, it breaks down into methanol, which is dangerous for pregnant women (Elsas; 1987). Although it could be said that this information is not relevant due to the information being published in 1987, the source is credible as the information was posted under the Doctors name and at the Emroy University. The source has also been published and therefore can be considered to have been peer
Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. It is a birth defect in which a developing baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly. The term Spina bifida comes from Latin and means "split" or "open" spine. This disorder occurs when the fetus is growing in the womb and its spine doesn’t form correctly. Some of the vertebrae don’t close to make their normal ring shapes around the spinal cord. This defect happens at the end of the first month of pregnancy, when a baby's spine and spinal cord are developing. Causes of Spina Bifida Causes that cause this disorder are low levels of the vitamin folic acid during pregnancy. Not having enough folic acid in the diet before and during early pregnancy can increase a woman's risk of Spina bifida and possibility of other neural tube defects. A high fever during pregnancy may increase a woman's chance of having a baby with Spina bifida. Some evidence suggests that genes may be a cause of Spina Bifida, but most babies born with Spina bifida have no family history of the condition. Also, women with epilepsy
Mayo Clinic collaborative services educational publication. (2004). Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. New York, NY, Harper Collins Publishers Inc.
Wardlaw, G.M. and Smith. Contemporary Nutrition: Issues and Insights. 5th Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp 85, 2004.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, premature birth comes with several known risk factors or causes; however, even if these known risk factors are not present, a woman can still have a premature baby. Some of these risk factors for prematurity include: carrying more than one baby, having a previous preterm birth, problems with the cervix or uterus, chronic health problems in the mother, certain infections during pregnancy, alcohol use, or cigarette smoking. When a woman has chronic health problems (such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or clotting disorders), the baby is affected physically also, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2009). Along with these chronic health problems, a woman has to consider her environment and how it becomes the baby’s environment also. If a woman smokes or drinks alcohol the baby is receiving all of the toxins that are deadly to a developing fetus and that also have no nourishment qualities whatsoever.
Werler M, Shapiro S, Mitchell A.(1993) Periconceptional folic acid exposure and risk of occurrent neural tube defects. JAMA. ;269:1257
These last two years, however, I started to gain weight and have become concerned with my diet. Changing my poor eating habits has been difficult for me, however, having this assignment has taught me that it is not as difficult as I previously imagined. Nutrition experts in the United States and Canada have a list of standards with four list values. These list values are called the Dietary Reference Intakes. The DRI committee sets these values for vitamins, minerals, calories, and nutrients.
Is there any food on earth that can provide the PERFECT nutrition to a human? Yes, and it is breast milk. Breast milk is the perfect nutrition. This superior food contains hormones, live antibacterial and antiviral cells and essential fatty acids (What Makes Human Milk Special?, Mar-Apr 2006). All of which are helpful in protecting against any harm. Sicknesses in infants are lowered by the help that breast milk gives. Breastfed children are sick less often than children who aren’t breastfed (What Makes Human Milk Special?, Mar-Apr 2006). Breast milk contains all the nutrients that an infant needs as it continues to grow. When the child is brought into the world it has no way to fight off any d...
When it comes to eating right, it is important that the diet of a pregnant woman has food energy, protein, with many vitamins and minerals, as this is essential for the pregnancy to support the metabolic demands of pregnancy and the baby's growth. It is then, that knowing the fact that the diet of a pregnant woman should be well controlled it is ide...
One of the primary prevention methods in maternal health is the utilization of prenatal care. During the provision of prenatal care, a healthcare provider counsels and discusses information with the expecting mother. Conversations about smoking and alcohol use, what to expect during pregnancy, when to seek help, and limitations on activities are put in place (Kirkham, Harris, & Grzybowski, 2005). Discussions about possible complications and potential warning signs are also an important part of prenatal education. Providing supplements, such as, calcium (1,000 to 1,300 mg per day), folic acid (0.4 to 0.8 mg), and iron (30 mg per day) to an expecting mother is also an important part of primary prevention, as they aid in the fight against blood pressure disorders, anemias, and defects in the unborn child (Kirkham, Harris, & Grzybowski, 2005). Additionally, the vaccination of expecting mothers has been shown to keep mothers and the unborn child healthy during pregnancy. Certain vaccinations, such as Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) and inactivated influenza vaccinations, have been shown to be protective to the fetus, as the mother’s antibodies against the disease are transferred to the unborn child (Esposito et al., 2012).
Beginning in the womb, nutrients obtained through the diet, in this case of the mother, begin playing a key role in the development of the brain and nervous system. A woman’s poor nutritional status before the time of conception can have detrimental effects on physical and cognitive development (Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, p. 486). It is clear that from the beginning of the lifespan nutrition plays a vital role and cognitive health and development. While nutrition is known to play a role in cognitive health, the question of just which nutrients and in what quantities will require many more years of research as new information is being discovered. There is a growing concern over the quality of ‘natural’ sources, such as breast milk and whole foods, as opposed to synthetic sources, such as infant formula and vitamin supplements. There has been much debate as to whether or ...
Jancárková, N., & Gregor, V. (2000). [Teratogens during pregnancy]. Ceska gynekologie/Ceska lekarska spolecnost J. Ev. Purkyne, 65(3), 188-194.
The fetus relies on the its mother for nutrition which is why it is important that a mother maintains a healthy diet and nutrition. Mothers who fail to intake the necessary proteins, vitamins, and minerals during pregnancy is subjected to the malformation of their child. Maternal age is as well associated with the unpleasant pregnancy outcomes. For example, in adolescence the mortality rate of an infant is higher than to mothers of older age. When women of age 35 years or older has become pregnant the risk that the child will have Down syndrome increases. Emotional states and stress during pregnancy can have long term consequences such as having a child with emotional or cognitive problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and language delay. It is concluded that mothers who suffer from depression during pregnancy can be linked to preterm birth, low weight at birth in full-term infant, and an increase risk that depression will develope in the adolescence. Not only does maternal characteristics influence the prenatal development of the offspring but so does the paternal. A father who smokes around the pregnant mother leads to a risk of early pregnancy loss and leukemia may also arise from second hand smoking. The father who is of age 40 or older is at risk of
There are many women who do not get the quality care, whether it is because of not being educated or not have women health facilities. There are too many women who do not understand the importance of screenings and tests. I plan on working in a rural area to be able to reach out to the women who have limited access to this vital health information. As a nurse, I aspire to reach out to all people of the community, but educating women of the health of them and their babies is my passion. In doing so, I would like to raise awareness of the risk of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies while breastfeeding. This could be harmful for both mother and child. For example, vitamin D, which is essential in absorbing calcium is amongst one of the most common deficiencies in breastfeeding infants.(cite) Milk from the mother contains very little vitamin D, so the baby must have supplementation in order to get daily requirement. (cite) If the baby is not able to absorb calcium, they will develop hypocalcemia. Not many women are aware of this, because care providers are neglecting to tell them until it is too late. Though physicians are aware, they tend to brush it off as if it is unimportant. This happens especially in southern states that get more sunshine. It is very strange that that though we encourage mothers to breastfeed, but are not educating them of these possible deficiencies and how to prevent them as we should. I want to inspire
...Therefor they have found many forms of preventing this on eof the evidence based preventaions is prophylaxis irom supplements. These supplemenst are used because its diffcult to met the requirements especially indevloping countries as the level of food available is low. During the beginning of pregannacy the daily needs decrease due to the absence of menstruation saving an average of 0.56 mg of iron per day, or 160 mg for the pregnancy [15]. In the second trimester of the pregnancy the blood volume increases by 45% with an increase in plasma volume of 50%; red cell mass is raised by 35% which amounts to about 450 mg of iron in a 55 kg woman [4]. The demands for iron from the fetus are highest during the third trimester of the pregnancy and these are estimated at about 270 mg in a 3 kg fetus [16]. Therefore, an average daily dose of 4–6 mg of iron is required [14].