Beta Carotene :Pregnancy Supplementation?
Beta carotene is not teratogenic and is recommended over vitamin A which has the possibility of teratogenicity. Teratogenesis is anything that is potentially harmful to a developing fetus. It is also now believed that various micronutrients affect the way in which other micronutrients are utilized by the body. This is sometimes not a desirable result but in the case of iron ,which is frequently supplemented during pregnancy, there seems to be a positive result. Supplementation of vitamin A together with supplementation of iron seems to preclude the incidence of anemia better than when only iron is used. Some researchers have also concluded that vitamin A deficiency is less common when both vitamin A and zinc are supplemented simultaneously. It is also now believed that supplementation of beta carotene during pregnancy will result in higher retinol levels in breast milk after delivery.
It is also found that carotenoid levels found in foods may not now be as high as once thought. For instance, the tropical diet may be inherently low in beta carotene. It does seem to be the case, however, that increasing consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables increases a person’s over-all nutrient levels. The standard recommendation is to eat five one-half-cup servings of fruits and vegetables per day for normal health.
Unfortunately, very few westerners now eat the way that the experts suggest. When the average American is honest with himself, he soon admits to avoiding some meals entirely and using empty calories to an excessive degree. Although flour is enriched by regulation, it is often omitted from the diet. Persons with low carb diets, in particular, will probably not benefit from the enriched breads that others consume.
Pregnant women who have been advised above all other concerns to keep their weight gain to an acceptable level may turn to diets that do not contain the necessary nutrient levels. The use of prescription prenatal vitamins is commonly recommended by obstetricians. Nothing new should be added to the diet during pregnancy without consultation with an obstetrician. Anything potentially harmful that is currently being used by pregnant women may need to be discontinued upon an obstetrician’s advise.
The time to think about the nutritional health of pregnant women and their developing babies is before becoming pregnant. Improving over-all health and addressing existing health concerns before pregnancy, while still in the process of planning one’s family, is the best way to insure that things go as well as possible during pregnancy.
A healthy start in life is the best advantage. It is worth the extra effort.
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Keywords: anemia, beta carotene, breast milk, carotenoid levels, cup servings, developing fetus, developing nations, development of infants, empty calories, excessive degree, fruits and vegetables, human body, infant mortality, infectious disease, newborns, nutrient levels, supplementation
, teratogenesis, vitamin a deficiency, westerners.
