By Breea Johnson, MS RD LDN

We tend to think of our genetics as a hereditary “gift” from our parents – one that can keep on giving.  Depending on the cards dealt by nature, we may have a life-long relationship with Aunt Martha’s high blood pressure, Uncle Mike’s diabetes and even worry that one day we’ll end up with Grandpa Joe’s Alzheimer’s.  Or maybe we’ve got “good genes,” and expect to live to be ninety-eight like Grandma Mary with a dry martini in our hand.  Hey, you can’t fight genetics, right?

Actually, that’s not entirely true.  While there is validity to genetic patterning, no health outcome is engraved in stone.  Enter an emerging field of study called epigenetics that evaluates how a woman’s diet, stress, toxic exposure and behavioral factors in the pre-conception and prenatal period can actually alter her off-spring’s genetic makeup and risk for chronic disease.  One established example of epigenetics is the “Thirty Phenotype Hypothesis,” which links poor fetal nutrition to the development of chronic diseases, specifically coronary heart disease and Type II diabetes, later in life.  Other emerging research is teasing out associations between psycho-social stress and poor pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, low birth weight and premature birth) as well as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and poor immune function later in life (Wadhwa et al. 2009).

As you might imagine, these new developments are placing serious focus on peri-natal health and nutrition.  When you are newly pregnant, your OB is likely to give you a handout that outlines the “need to know” info for the next nine months.  This resource is great for basic prenatal nutrition guidelines, like which foods to avoid, extra calorie needs and weight gain guidelines, as well as a basic heads’ up about the nausea, constipation and heart burn that may be in your near future.  Yet, when it comes to pregnancy, there’s basic knowledge and then there’s cutting edge.  At the Moon it’s our goal to stay on top of the emerging research surrounding the peri-natal period and to use this information to help optimize the health of mom and baby.  We not only counsel our patients on nutritional issues, we also provide a whole range of services specifically directed to pre-conception and pregnancy including yoga, acupuncture and massage.

Among some of the “nutrition-forward” topics we’re tracking:

• Vitamin D during pregnancy – what does the latest research say about recommended dosages and why is it important for baby’s future health?
• If you’re overweight when you start a pregnancy, what does the latest research say about weight gain?
• Gestational Diabetes – can it be prevented?
• Soy exposure in pregnancy – helpful or harmful?
• Emerging guidelines on the benefits/risks of phytoestrogen intake for infants.
• Increasing rates of infertility in men may be related to perinatal exposure to certain chemicals.  What should you be avoiding?
• Is it possible to avoid prenatal exposure to mercury and other heavy metals?
• Artificial sweeteners – should you consume them while pregnant?
• Organic foods, pesticides and the effect on fetal development.
• Prenatal Psycho-social stress  and potential health consequences for baby.
• Can you safely consume potential allergens like peanuts during pregnancy?

If you have undergone ART to conceive, you may have worked with a specialist in fertility nutrition along the way for optimal health during the process.  Prenatal nutrition is a whole new world, with its own recommendations and guidelines. Thus, the need to see a prenatal nutrition specialist is more important than ever.  So, when you are thinking about seeing a nutritionist during pregnancy, make sure to see a Prenatal Nutrition Specialist for the latest, up-to-date guidelines. If you would like to book an appointment with a Pulling Down the Moon nutritionist, please call (312) 321-0004 or visit www.pullingdownthemoon.com for Online Scheduling.

Wadwha et al.  Developmental Origins of Health and Disease:  A Brief History of the Approach and Current Focus on Epigenetic Mechanisms.  Semin Reprod Med 2009 September:27 358-368.

 Ever wondered what makes prenatal massage different from “regular” massage?  Pulling Down the Moon Co-Founder Tami Quinn interviews fertility and pregnancy massage specialist Dana Durand, LMT to get the scoop:

Click here to schedule your FEM (Fertility-Enhancing Massage) Protocol or Pregnancy Massage with Dana Durand at our Shady Grove location.

By Breea Johnson, MS RD LDN

Fish oil with Omega-3s (that supply DHA and EPA) are a class of supplements commonly recommended for women with infertility. While nutritionists stress the importance of quality when choosing supplements, many people buy fish oil from their local store for convenience or to save money. This past week a lawsuit was filed in California against fish oil manufacturers [CVS Pharmacy Inc.; General Nutrition Corp. (GNC); Now Health Group Inc.; Omega Protein Inc.; Pharmavite LLC (Nature Made brand); Rite Aid Corp.; Solgar Inc., and TwinLab Corp]. The lawsuit charges that these companies sold fish oil that contained “undisclosed and unnecessarily high levels of contamination with polycholorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds.”

What are PCBs? PCBs are a class of chemicals that are now illegal. However, they were utilized for many different purposes in industrial manufacturing – such as in coolants, PVC piping, pesticides and paints among other things. They are now considered one of the POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants), a group of the most toxic compounds that still exist in our food and bodies despite being outlawed years ago. According to the EPA, PCBs have been shown to cause cancer in animals, and negatively affect the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system, amongst other ill health effects. Here is an excerpt from the EPA’s website about the effect of PCBs on reproduction in animals and humans:

“PCB exposures were found to reduce the birth weight, conception rates and live birth rates of monkeys and other species and PCB exposure reduced sperm counts in rats. Effects in monkeys were long-lasting and were observed long after the dosing with PCBs occurred.

Studies of reproductive effects have also been carried out in human populations exposed to PCBs. Children born to women who worked with PCBs in factories showed decreased birth weight and a significant decrease in gestational age with increasing exposures to PCBs. Studies in fishing populations believed to have high exposures to PCBs also suggest similar decreases. This same effect was seen in multiple species of animals exposed to PCBs, and suggests that reproductive effects may be important in humans following exposures to PCBs.”

According to the Environmental Working Group, one of the highest food sources of PCBs include farm-raised (or Atlantic Salmon), with 16 times the amount of PCBs as wild salmon. Thus, supplementing your diet with a fish oil that contains PCBs or eating farm-raised salmon to obtain omega-3s may do more harm than good. It’s important to know where your supplements (and food) are sourced from, and how the companies treat and process it to form a supplement. There are many companies that sell high-quality fish oil. Read more about the quality of our fish oil here. Please consult with a Pulling Down the Moon nutritionist if you have more questions concerning this matter.

For more information:

www.fishoilsafety.com

www.ewg.org

Here’s a good new/bad news situation.  The bad news is that more women are likely to receive a diagnosis of  Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in the coming months.   The good news is that if you’re in the trying to conceive process and eating a fertility-friendly diet like the one we use at Pulling Down the Moon you are well on your way to preventing this condition which can be dangerous to mother and baby. 

Previously, a diagnosis of GDM was based on blood sugar measurements that identified women at higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.  The new standards take into consideration risks to the mother and baby, including overweight babies, early delivery, c-section delivery and pre-eclampsia (a life threatening rise in blood pressure that endagers health of mom and baby).  When these outcomes were added to the equation, experts found they needed to make the diagnostic criteria more stringent.  With the new guidelines, it’s estimated 16% of pregnant women will be found to have GDM instead of the 4-6% who currently get diagnosed.

Just in case you needed a bit more motivation to either get started or keep going with your fertility-friendly diet, do it for diabetes prevention and the health of your future child!

A new study was published this week in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which showed that acupuncture can help treat symptoms of depression in pregnant women.  In the study, depressed women were placed into three groups:

Groups underwent 12 treatments over an eight-week period of time and were then asked to take the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression.  Results showed the severity of depression in the acupuncture specific group to be significantly lower than that in both of the control groups.   

This was encouraging news since we are often asked at Pulling Down the Moon what holistic therapies might be available to patients who become depressed during pregnancy or what patients can do if they do not want to take their anti-depressants while TTC or pregnant.  Understandably, many women are concerned about taking or starting medications during their pregnancy due to potential risk to their babies.  Interestingly, research has shown that women with depression tend to have a greater liklihood of developing postpartum depression and they are more likely to have babies with lower birth weights.  For these reasons, it is important to talk with both your doctor and your acupuncturist about integrating their care to make your treatment plan as seemless as possible. 

For information about the study, check out this Wall Street Journal Article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704454304575081753471294546.html