Friday, January 25, 2008

B vitamins and pregnancy

Low maternal vitamin B12 levels in combination with certain genes may have detrimental effects for offspring.

A combination of low vitamin B12 levels and certain genotypes for the methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) and transcobalamin II (TC) genes were found to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 35 and 100 per cent, respectively, report the researchers in the journal Molecular Genetics and Metabolism.

"Therefore, it might be favorable to advise women to use a diet rich in vitamin B12 and eventually a vitamin B12 supplement in addition to a folic acid supplement in the periconception period to achieve an optimal vitamin B12 status," wrote Anna Verkleij-Hagoort from Erasmus MC, University Medical Center in Rotterdam.

The importance of B vitamins, particularly folate, in fetal development is well established. The new study expands our understanding of the potential of pre-conception diets to influence the health of offspring.

Verkleij-Hagoort and co-workers studied 230 children with a CHD and 251 health control children and their parents.

Bonnie - Folate, B-12, B-6, they are all important. That's why one must take a full-spectrum, potent prenatal. Unfortunately, we just can't get all the crucial micronutrients for a health pregnancy from our diet.

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