Vitamin B12 Crying Babies & Pregnancy

Crybabies may lack vitamin B12 mothers advised

The meat manufacturing, production, processing and industry is now clutching at straws following the UK Government's announcement that we should eat no more than the equivalent of a small lamb chop and restrict our meat consumption to the bare minimum to avoid increased risks of cancer.

Once again ignoring the facts that there are safer plant based sources of all of the handful of nutrients that are found in meat, and that meat is not only missing most anti-oxidants, fibre and many other essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals but is also implicated in thwarting our ability to attain a healthy synergistic balance of these nutrients.

Once again it's the essential vitamin B12 that meat industry lobbyists have got their blood stained mitts on.

Acording to FIGO The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics almost 3,000 pregnant women took part in the study, in which researchers in the Netherlands measured the levels of vitamin B12 in the bloodstream of the mothers-to-be.

The Dutch researchers found the women with the least amount of the vitamin B12 nutrient in their blood had babies who were eight times more prone to crying.

Leading UK Nutritionist, London Yvonne Bishop-Weston explains the implications of the new findings.

The new study (reference) has shown a link between the level of vitamin B12 in the mother and excessive infant crying (more than 3 hours a day for more than 3 days a week for more than 3 weeks). The reasons for this are not fully understood but it could be due to the fact that a lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid hinder the foetal development of the nervous system before birth and also that in the first 6 months after birth lack of these vitamins can affect the development of the protective myelin which surrounds the nerve cells and helps them communicate.

Excessive infant crying is also called infant colic and may also be due to B12 deficiency. Excessive infant crying was found to be stronger when the mother experienced high levels of psychological problems so could affect the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm of the body controls the sleep/wake cycle, the development of which starts in the womb.It also takes about 3 months after birth to settle into a rhythm. As lack of B12 has been seen in people with sleep disorders it is suggested that lack of B12 may the infant circadian rhythm interfere with serotonin melatonin and trigger gut cramps and crying.

The developing baby relies on the mother to provide B12 and if it is deficient in her diet and her stores are too low the baby is likely to be deficient too. B12 is made by bacteria in the gut and meat, fish and eggs the usual source recommended by NHS dietitians.

Plantarians and Vegans maintain there are healthier, safer, more sustainable sources of vitamin B12  that come without the extra calories and detrimental effects of saturated animal fat and natural hormones but with essential fats and a range of useful vitamins, minerals,  anti oxidants and fibre.

Yvonne seems to agree;

I would be cautious in recommending women eat more animal foods as meat and dairy comes along with saturated fats which can hinder the body's use of essential fats which are needed for the baby's brain and nervous system development. Due to the potential levels of toxicity in fish no more than 2 portions a week should be eaten in pregnancy and egg consumption tends to be lower in pregnancy as they can only be eaten fully cooked. If anything this study is a strong argument for basic nutrient testing at the start of women's pregnancies and addressing any deficiencies as well as of course more promotion of either better, more nutritious diets or the need for effective, easily absorbable prenatal supplements.

Vitamin B12 is made by mimicing the human digestive system's ability to produce B12 from yeasts and bacteria in the gut and is then added to a number of foods from breafast cereals and plant milks to fruit juice.

Unfortunately, most natural plant sources of vitamin B12 have been proven to contain biologically inactive vitamin B12 analogues (non absorbable pseudo-vitamin B12) , inadequate for human supplementation.

Algae seems to be the most reliable plant based source of true Vitamin B12 so far. Following a research study in France in 1978 (Greiko et al) scientists in Finland (Rauma et al ) and  Japan (Watanabe et al)  have found true vitamin B12 in Nori and Chlorella (but only non-absorbable pseudo-vitamin B12 in Spirulina) whilst Italian researchers say a strain of Klamath blue green algae appears to be, in a preliminary study, an adequate and reliable source of vitamin B12 in humans (L Baroni et al , published in The International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 2009)

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Pregnant Women - 2 Fish or Not 2 Fish

Pregnant women should be allowed to eat more fish - Telegraph

Nutritionists are arguing about the safe limits of fish during pregnancy following new research that supports the idea that too little of the long chain essential fats omega 3 DHA in pregnant women can result in and possibly cause developmental problems.

'Fish consumption among women of child bearing age and girls is currently restricted due to concerns about the presence of potentially harmful contaminants in fish such as dioxins and methylmercury. ' reports The Telegraph


'Speaking at a conference held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London last week, Professor Jack Winkler, director of the Nutrition Policy Unit at London Metropolitan University, said the benefits of fish oil far outweighed other risks. 

He said: "The Food Standards Agency issued advice to women and pregnant women about fish in 2004 which was ultra conservative. Since then, there has been research which indicates that women who have eaten more fish than those recommendations suffer no harm but their child's brain performance improved. 

"The evidence is beginning to show that this ultra conservative advice is effectively denying women the benefits of fish. Worryingly the current advice is scaring women off eating fish completely as the message it gives is that fish is risky."'

London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says there is a 3rd solution to the 2 fish or not 2 fish conundrum. "EPA and DHA is now available as a toxin free sustainable plant based alternative to fish and fish oil. If mother's are worried we can test their levels of DHA and if they are low they can take a combination of Echium Oil, Algae and Omega 7."

V-Pure Algae plant based EPA / DHA omega 3 fish alternative
This DHA rich Algal oil also has some EPA in it. The Algae is grown in steel tanks in a controlled environment and then the essential fats are coaxed out using a unique high tech natural process to allow the production of a concentrated omega 3 DHA rich oil

Echium Oil an omega 3 rich plant based fish oil alternative that converts well to EPA
Echium is a most amazing plant that has naturally ocurring longer chain omega 3 and omega 6 fats. The combination of these two longer chain essential fats means that in studies Echium oil converts to EPA 5 times more efficiently than flax oil.

Omega 7 - Sea Buckthorn Oil
Foods for Life Nutritionist Gareth Zeal has revealed that research suggests that omega 7 - particularly Seabuckthorn oil, which is rich in omega 7, like longer chain omega 6 helps with the conversion pathway and makes it easier for the body to convert shorter chain essential fat omega oils into longer chain essential fats such as EPA and DHA.

So the question is not just fish or less fish, now plant oils are a sustainable, economically viable, safe, effective, toxin free, alternative.

1 in 96 chance of getting pregnant says study

The average couple has sex 96 times to get pregnant a new study by First Response has revealed.

It takes a woman just six months to conceive her first child, but is having to ‘do the deed’ over four times a week. The poll of 3000 mothers was commissioned by family planning brand First Response which also revealed that two thirds of women conceived much quicker than they expected.

One in 10 women have been so eager to get pregnant they have called their husband home from work when they were ovulating. And a further, pushy 10 per cent said they then jumped on their other half as soon as he walked through the door.

Despite this, 70 per cent of those polled said they wanted their baby to be conceived during a loving and spontaneous sex session rather than going through the mechanics. In order to woo their other half, a persistent 35 per cent of girls said they made more effort to look sexy when trying for a baby.

But it’s not all fun and games - nearly a quarter of women admitted that sex got really boring when trying to start a family, while 11 per cent of men complained at the amount of sex their wife or girlfriend was demanding and admitted to feeling completely used.

First Response said: ‘’Having sex 96 times before falling pregnant does sound rather a lot, but as they say practice makes perfect. However, for those not trying to conceive it’s very important to remember that many couples may also fall pregnant first time so if you are not trying for a baby please still use the necessary precautions.‘’Trying for a baby is a very exciting time for a couple and many try to have sex at every opportunity in order to get pregnant. Couples who are having problems conceiving can visit www.tellsyoufirst.co.uk for practical expert advice and handy tools by London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston to help set you on the right path

Some women are so eager to find out the happy news more than one in 20 women did a pregnancy test in work and four per cent used a testing kit in the public toilets at the shops.

First Response spokesperson added: ‘’It’s an extremely anxious time and many women want to find out whether they are expecting a child as soon as possible.”

The First Response Early Results Pregnancy Test is the only test in the UK that can accurately let you know if you’re pregnant up to six days before a missed period - two days before other at-home tests. This test is accurate and simple to use and the sooner you discover you are pregnant, the sooner you can begin to make the lifestyle changes required to give you the best head start to a healthy and happy pregnancy.

Another big surprise was that as much as nearly one in 10 females told their parents before telling their partner that they were expecting a child.

First Response