Vitamin E Supplementation in Pregnancy
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as a powerful antioxidant.
Why You Need It during Pregnancy
As an antioxidant, vitamin E is important for protecting body fat stores and fatty cell membranes from damage – including the essential fatty acids that make up 20 per cent of the weight of your baby’s developing brain. It strengthens muscle fibres and may help to prevent miscarriage and make labour easier. Vitamin E is easily transported across the placenta, but premature infants are often born without adequate vitamin E reserves. As a result, their red blood cell membranes are unusually fragile, leading to a haemolytic anaemia and neonatal jaundice.
Severe vitamin E deficiency during pregnancy causes fetal weakness and poor development of the heart, brain, lung and kidneys. Developmental difficulties usually follow. It forms part f the antioxidant mechanism that is vital for protecting the brain from damage due to exposure to the metabolic chemicals and free radicals produced during the rapid developmental process in the womb. It may provide some protection against cerebral palsy. High doses of vitamin E are known to reduce the severity of eye damage (retrolental fibroplasia) due to oxygen treatment in very premature babies.
In general, the more polyunsaturated fats a person eats, the more vitamin E she needs, as polyunsaturated fats are prone to rapid oxidation and rancidity. Vitamin E also boosts immunity and improves skin suppleness and healing.
Vitamin E given at a dose of 300 mg per day seems to reduce the risk of complications associated with uterine fibroids during pregnancy. Vitamin E supplements during pregnancy may decrease the risk of the offspring developing a brain tumour during childhood by 65 per cent.
How Much You Need
The EC RDA is 10 mg per day. Many experts now believe a daily intake of at least 40 to 50 mg vitamin E is needed to provide good antioxidant protection. This means taking supplements – which should ideally be natural source vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol), not synthetic dl-alphatocopherol, which is less biologically active. Taking extra vitamin E during pregnancy (such as 67 mg equivalent to 100IU) seems reasonable and will help to keep your skin in good condition, possibly even reducing the risk of stretch marks.
Good Dietary Sources
- vegetable oils – of which wheatgerm oil is the richest
- avocado
- margarine
- eggs
- butter
- wholemeal cereals
- seeds
- nuts
- bread
- oily fish
- broccoli
Vitamin E is unstable when frozen – up to 80 per cent of the vitamin E content is destroyed. Heating destroys around 30 per cent vitamin E content. Fresh raw foods, and supplements, are therefore the best sources.
Various symptoms of Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most dangerous diseases which attack our body so deeply. Not only elder of ours, but also sometime our children’s are get affected by this disease. This disease can’t be stopped easily, but it can be prevented by means of some steps. The first step will be that, you have to get an idea about how this disease attacks the human body. Then you need to understand the symptoms of Diabetes which is the most important part. Once you find out one or many of these symptoms which are appearing in your body then you need to prepare for the treatment. For the last but not the least is the medical checkup and get medical treatment as prescribed by your physician. Here we discus about some of the treatments. If you find one of these symptoms similar with your present condition, then you must go to the doctor. Firstly the most classical symptom of Diabetes is polyuria means frequent urination. Secondly in this time you will fill so thirsty which has a medical term known as polydipsia. Thirdly it is often found out that you will feel so hungry after or less than 2 hours. This symptom is known as polyphagia. These symptoms can be arrived so easily and it is means that you have Diabetes of type 1 and if these symptoms are reveal slowly then it will be type 2 Diabetes. Polydipsia is generally shown in the type 2 Diabetes. Here are the some very common but important symptoms of Diabetes. It is better if you have not any of the symptoms. But if you have, then it will be better if you consult with you family doctor. Do not late. Always remember that diabetes is silent killer!
How Your Digestive System works
Human body is a complex system. Plenty of works run nonstop inside the human body. Digestive system is a crucial part of human body. Many people get confused when it comes to understanding the digestive system. Here we are going to take a look at digestive system and how does it work. After taking the food it breaks down. There are various chemicals and acids secrete in our body. The food changes the form and gets absorbed into the blood stream then. It happens because of the chemical reactions. The salt, sugar, glucose and water in the food remain unchanged. Other contents like fat, protein and starches must be broken. There are enzymes inside our digestive system that helps a lot to digest the food properly. The digestive system starts from our tongue. We chew the food first and it gets mixed up with saliva. There are enzymes in the saliva that breaks the food in small molecules. You need to chew the food well so that it can comfortably pass through the esophagus. Esophagus ends up in the stomach. The esophagus rings open in one way and that is why the food or the acids do not come back to the esophagus. Sometimes the food can be regurgitated if the ring is not close properly. This is known as a common digestive problem. Heartburn and indigestion can also happen in this case. Those who are suffering from hiatal hernia often suffer from these troubles. Inside the stomach the food is churned well by the muscular walls of the stomach. The stomach walls also produce gastric acid and pepsin. There are mucus producing cells too and it prevents the enzymes from digesting the tissues inside stomach. When these processes fail the person suffers from ulcer.