Obesity Limits Pregnancy Weight

ST. LOUIS (UPI) -- A U.S. doctor challenges the recommended guideline that obese women should gain 11-20 pounds during pregnancy. Dr. Raul Artal, chairman of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health at Saint Louis University in Missouri advises overweight or obese mothers-to-be to eat a nutrient-rich diet of between 2,000-2,500 calories a day, and in some cases, to lose weight. He says overweight or obese women should not gain more than 10 pounds when pregnant. "Recommending a single standard of weight gain for all obese classes is of concern since higher body mass index levels are associated with more severe medical conditions and have long-term adverse health implications," Artal says in a statement. Artal writes in a commentary for Obstetrics & Gynecology, that he does not endorse recommendations made by the Institutes of Medicine in Washington -- an independent, non-profit organization that provides advice for health decision makers and the public. "The recently published Institutes of Medicine recommendations for gestational weight gain are virtually identical to those published in 1990 with one exception -- obese women are now recommended to gain 11-20 pounds compared to the previous recommendations of at least 15 pounds," Artal says.
Copyright 2010 by United Press International

YOUR HEALTH: EXCESSIVE DRINKING SHRINKS YOUR BRAIN AND YOUR MEMORY

Moderate alcohol consumption may be good for your heart, but new research suggests that it doesn't appear to offer the same protective benefits for the brain. While moderate amounts of alcohol don't necessarily help the brain, regularly consuming more than two drinks a day can definitely harm it. Habitual consumption of more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week actually causes the brain to shrink, according to the results of a study conducted by researchers at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass. The scientists found that the more alcohol an individual drinks on a regular basis, the lower his or her total brain volume. For the study, the Wellesley researchers evaluated brain size and alcohol consumption patterns in more than 1,800 adults between the ages of 34 and 88 years. The subjects were enrolled in the Framingham Offspring Study, which includes children of the original Framingham Heart Study participants. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed and used to measure brain volume, a relatively reliable indicator of brain aging and health. Compared to those who abstained from alcohol, the subjects who habitually consumed more than 14 drinks per week had a 1.6 percent reduction in brain volume. Although chronic drinking is detrimental to the entire brain, the cells of the hippocampus are especially vulnerable to damage from alcohol. The hippocampus is a small, curved structure in the brain that is vital to learning and memory formation. When the structure is surgically removed, a person's ability to store most new experiences in memory is permanently lost. In individuals with advanced, debilitating Alzheimer's dementia, the hippocampus typically is the first brain structure affected, and often the one that is most profoundly damaged by the disease. In an animal study supported by the National Institutes of Health, scientists at Scripps Research Institute in San Diego found that chronic alcohol consumption dramatically reduced the number of new brain cells that normally form in the hippocampus. For the study, rhesus monkeys were allowed to voluntarily consume a sweetened beverage containing 6 percent alcohol during one-hour sessions, five days a week for five months. A control group of monkeys had equal access to a similar, alcohol-free beverage. Analysis of brain tissue revealed that alcohol consumption significantly reduced new brain cell growth and proliferation in the hippocampus. Compared to the non-drinking monkeys, those consuming alcohol exhibited a 58 percent decrease in the number of new brain cells formed in the hippocampus and a 63 percent reduction in cell survival. Based on the results of their study, the researchers concluded that chronic alcohol consumption not only causes existing cells of the hippocampus to die off, it also keeps new cells from forming. These findings have important implications for humans, since shrinkage of the hippocampus is known to coincide with declines in cognitive abilities, such as memory and learning, and can ultimately lead to dementia. Although the hippocampus typically shrinks with age, the rate at which it becomes smaller differs substantially among individuals. While regular physical activity and continued learning have been shown to enhance the size of the structure, chronic alcohol consumption appears to reduce it. In the earliest stages, loss of brain volume is associated with temporary, minor lapses in memory, such as forgetting a doctor's appointment or the name of a casual acquaintance, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Neurology. The study included 500 adults ages 50 to 85 with no history of dementia. The subjects were asked about their experiences with occasional memory problems, such as having trouble thinking of the right word or forgetting events that had occurred in the previous hours or days. After evaluating the subjects' brains using MRI scans, researchers found that in individuals with occasional memory lapses, the hippocampus was measurably smaller than in subjects with no memory problems. Protecting the hippocampus is especially important for people who have been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's as well as for those who are at high risk for developing the disease. A study conducted by researchers at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland showed that having a large, healthy hippocampus may allow some older adults to compensate for Alzheimer's-related brain changes. If you're determined to keep your hippocampus healthy and your mind sharp as you grow older, don't stop exercising or learning new things. And if you enjoy drinking alcohol, continue to do so only in moderation.

======== Rallie McAllister, M.D. is a family physician, author, speaker, and medical director of www.MommyMDGuides.com, a website featuring child-raising tips from trusted doctors who are also moms. To find out more about Rallie McAllister, M.D., and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate Inc.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I prepare for the new year alone, yet not alone. There wil be trials and there will be tears but I am a survivor and my love for my blogs will see me through this difficult time. Hope you all had a bleesed Christmas and a wonderful new year´s day. Be ready. the train is about to part. See you all soon.

Love, Brenda

PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TO MAN

At this time of the year, with pain in my heart and tears in my eyes at the loss of my best friend and soul companion, I reach out across the miles to greet all my blog readers. I promise to return in the new year with a vigor and the passion I once had. Now I wish to thank you for your support. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU ALL WELL.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF ABEL DESESTRESS

November 14, 1955 - Ocotber 18, 2009

GONE BUT FOREVER PRESENT IN MY HEART.

DARLING, YOU FILL MY HEART TODAY MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE.

Moms-to-be can pass on asthma to baby

MONTREAL (UPI) -- Expectant mothers, who have asthma but are not treated during pregnancy, heighten the risk of their babies having asthma, Canadian researchers said. Lead author Dr. Lucie Blais, a professor at the Universite de Montreal and researcher at the Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal and colleagues at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center examined a decade of health records for 8,226 children -- from birth to age 10 -- born to asthmatic mothers. Parents of these children were also mailed questionnaires requesting additional facts concerning familial medical history, lifestyle habits and environment. The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, found 32.6 percent of children born to mothers who neglected to treat their asthma during pregnancy developed the respiratory illness themselves. "Uncontrolled maternal asthma during pregnancy could trigger a transient yet important reaction in the fetus that affects lung development and could subsequently increase the likelihood of a baby developing asthma in later childhood," Blais said in a statement. "It is of great importance for physicians to adequately treat asthmatic mothers during pregnancy, not only for the favorable outcome of pregnancy but also for the benefit of the child."
Copyright 2009 by United Press International

Flexibility test may indicate heart risk

DENTON, Texas (UPI) -- Whether someone can reach his or her toes from a sitting position on the floor may be an indicator of heart risk, U.S. and Japanese researchers said. Among people age 40 and older, performance on the sit-and-reach test could be used to assess the flexibility of the arteries. Arterial stiffness often precedes cardiovascular disease and the results suggest that this simple test could become a quick measure of an individual's risk for early mortality from heart attack or stroke, researchers said. Study author Kenta Yamamoto, of the University of North Texas and the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan, and colleagues in Japan said it is not known why arterial flexibility would be related to the flexibility of the body in middle age and older people. However, the study authors said that one possibility is that stretching exercises may set into motion physiological reactions that slow down age-related arterial stiffening. "Our findings have potentially important clinical implications because trunk flexibility can be easily evaluated," Yamamoto said in a statement. "This simple test might help to prevent age-related arterial stiffening." The findings are published in the American Journal of Physiology.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International