Is Folic Acid Really Good For Pregnant Women?

    

Pregnant women are urged to take vitamin supplements with folic acid to prevent birth defects, but research out Wednesday suggests that too much may raise the risk of autism.

The findings were presented at a conference in Baltimore, Maryland, and have not yet been published or peer-reviewed, so researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health called for caution in interpreting their results.

“This could be the case of too much of a good thing,” said lead author Ramkripa Raghavan, a researcher at the school.

“We tell women to be sure to get folate early in pregnancy. What we need to figure out now is whether there should be additional recommendations about just what an optimal dose is throughout pregnancy.”

 

Folate is a B vitamin that is naturally present in fruits and vegetables. A synthetic version, folic acid, is commonly used to fortify cereals, breads and is contained in vitamin supplements.

When pregnant women do not get enough folate, their babies face a higher risk of brain and spinal cord defects.

– Twice the risk –

The study tracked 1,391 mothers and their children from the Boston Birth Cohort, a predominantly low-income minority population.

The mothers’ blood folate was checked once only, and that measurement was taken within the first one to three days of delivery.

Mothers with very high folate right after giving birth faced twice the risk that the child would develop an autism spectrum disorder.

Women with high vitamin B12 levels saw triple the risk of autism in their offspring.

 

If both levels were extremely high, the risk that a child would develop the disorder increased 17.6 times, according to the research presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Baltimore.

Most of the mothers reported taking prenatal vitamin supplements.

Very few — one in 10 — had what researchers consider an excessive amount of folate in their blood, or more than 59 nanomoles per liter.

Six percent had an excess amount of vitamin B12 (more than 600 picomoles per liter).

 

The World Health Organization says the adequate amount of folate for a woman in her first trimester of pregnancy is between 13.5 and 45.3 nanomoles. Ideal vitamin B12 levels are not well established.

– Calls for caution –
Outside experts cautioned that the study measured folate at birth, while the crucial window for supplementation to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida is in the first weeks and months of pregnancy.

“This research does not suggest any harmful effects of recommended folate supplements taken in early pregnancy which are beneficial,” said Andrew Shennan, a professor of obstetrics at King’s College London.

“Women should continue to take these,” added Shennan, who was not involved in the study.

James Cusack, research director of Autistica, agreed.

 

“Although this finding is striking, it is vital to remember that this research is at a very early stage. In fact, this information has simply come from a single poster at a conference,” Cusack said.

“It is far too early to say whether this finding is correct and so families should not be overly concerned.”

Craig Newschaffer, professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health, said the research calls for a better understanding of the role of folate throughout pregnancy.

“The role of folic acid supplementation in neurodevelopment may be quite complex,” he said.

 

About one in four women in the United States do not get enough folate in pregnancy, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects as many as one in 68 children in the United States.

Its causes remain poorly understood, but researchers say it is likely a result of some combination of genetic and environmental factors.

In Nigeria, Autism is prevalent even though it is still not properly understood in some quarters, especially in rural communities where it is attributed to the manipulation of evil forces.

 

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Why Plantain Has More Nutritional Values Than Banana

Plantain, also known as plátanos, are closely related cultivars of fruit or dessert banana. In general, they are treated as vegetables in the kitchen much like fellow tropical produces such as potatoes, taro, breadfruit, yam, sweet potatoes, etc. Indeed, plátano are one of the staple sources of carbohydrates for larger populations. Plantain is so rich that it is consumed in almost every part of the world.

 Plantain is quite different from dessert banana, being taller and larger and more drought tolerant. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that develops from the underground rhizome. Like bananas, it too flourishes well under tropical moisture-rich, humid low-lying farmlands. At maturity, the rhizome gives rise to flower (inflorescence) that is carried up along its smooth, elongated, un-branched stem, piercing through the center of pseudo-stem, finally emerging out at the top in between its leafy clusters.

 Plantain relatively has more calories weight for weight than that in the table bananas. 100 g plantain holds about 122 calories, while dessert banana has only 89 calories. Indeed, they are very reliable sources of starch and energy; ensuring food security for millions of inhabitants worldwide. It contains 2.3 g of dietary fiber per 100 g (6% of DRA per 100 g). Adequate amount of dietary-fiber in the food helps normal bowel movements, thereby reducing constipation problems.

 Fresh plátanos have more vitamin C than bananas. 100 g provide 18.4 mg or 31% of daily required levels of this vitamin. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. However, boiling and cooking destroys much of this vitamin in plantains. Plantains carry more vitamin A than bananas. 100 g fresh ripe plantains contain 1127 IU or 37.5% of daily required levels of this vitamin.

 As in bananas, they too are rich sources of B-complex vitamins, particularly high in vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine). Pyridoxine is an important B-complex vitamin that has a beneficial role in the treatment of neuritis, anemia, and to decrease homocystine (one of the causative factors for coronary artery disease (CHD) and stroke episodes) levels in the body. In addition, the fruit contains moderate levels of folates, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin.

 They also provide adequate levels of minerals such as iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role as well. Fresh plantains have more potassium than bananas. 100 g fruit provides 499 mg of potassium (358 mg per 100 g for bananas). Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering negative effects of sodium.

 At maturity, plantains are generally harvested unripe and right away carried to the market for sale. Look for firm, mature, deep green, well-formed plantains that feel heavy in hand. Do not buy overripe, damaged, split fruits, as they stay poor. Once at home, store them open at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Once ripen, plantains too, like bananas, are very fragile and show signs of decay in short time span.

 Plantains are inedible raw and should be eaten only after cooked. To prepare, just wash the raw fruit in cold water and mop dry using paper cloth. Using a paring knife, trim either ends. Then, cut the fruit into short lengths, split the skin superficially along the ridge and peel the skin gently away from the flesh to get firm flesh inside. Oftentimes, the whole fruit may be barbequed with its skin. Otherwise, its peeled flesh may be cut into thin slices, grated, chunks treated much like potatoes in many traditional African and West-Indian cuisine.

 Plantains make delicious savory recipes, used in place of potatoes in grills, mashed, bake, or fries. In South-Indian Kerala state, plantain chips (vaazhakka upperi) seasoned with salt and pepper, is a popular snack. Tostones (plátano, fried twice), prepared in a similar way are again a popular snacks in the Caribbean and Latin Americas. Its flower head (inflorescence) and interior icicle-white, tender stem (vazhai thandu in Malayalam) too are eaten in various kinds of recipes in South-Asian regions.

 Sopa de plátano is a popular Caribbean soup preparation that used green platanos, garlic, cilantro, and cheese. Mashed plantain served with fried onions is a national breakfast dish of Dominican Republic. Mashed platanos are served with rice, eggs, beans, poultry, fish, etc., in these regions. In some African communities, plantain is pounded into a form in which it is eaten with stews or soups such as egusi soup or okro soup.

  

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Mixing ""Agbo"" With HIV Medications Could Be Counter Productive - New Study

Herbal medicine permeates all of Africa, but agbo, a Yoruba word that describes a concoction of plant parts – bark, root, trunk, leaves – steeped or boiled in alcohol or water is shifting from its Yoruba origins.  And like plants, it is everywhere.

 

Agbo is natural; there is no doubt about it. And no matter the quantity of medicines, many people still never feel better until they “crown it” with herbal medicine, and that’s mostly for typhoid or malaria. But, taking a combination of HIV medications with agbo that contains scent leaves (efirin) for malaria, typhoid fever, pile or other infections is best avoided.

 

Experts, in a new study, suggest that combining agbo prepared with such plants like bitter leaves (ewuro), scent leaves (efirin) with zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine (ZLN), a combination of highly active antiretroviral therapy used in the treatment of HIV, will lower the effectiveness of these ARV medications.

 

Many people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) use traditional medicines to supplement dietary intake of nutrients, to boost energy levels, to alleviate side effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART), to cure opportunistic infections like malaria and to boost immune response.

 

The study had validated common plants used in the management of HIV infection and assessed plasma concentration of zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine (ZLN) in patients concurrently using antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and scent leaf extract.

 

Zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine come as a combined fixed-oral antiretroviral drug to reduce HIV-associated morbidity, prolong survival and prevent HIV transmission.

 

This study included 60 herbalists from five different communities and 300 HIV/AIDS patients attending highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) clinic at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Ilorin to obtain information on types of herbs used in the management of HIV/AIDS between September 2016 and February 2017.

 

A total of 23 plants were validated for use in the management of HIV infection by the herbalists and HIV-infected persons. Common plant parts used for the concoction were leaves (33.4 per cent barks (26.7 per cent), roots (16.7 per cent), and seeds (13.3 per cent). Scent leaf had the highest familiarity index of 43 per cent.

 

These plants included garlic, cheese wood (ahun in Yoruba), Calotropis procera (Bomubomu in Yoruba), bitter leaf, Moraceae Ficus (Epin in Yoruba or sand paper), Laganaria breviflorus (Itagiri in Yoruba), Jatropha curcas (Lapalapa in Yoruba), castor oil plant, Aframomum melegueta (Atare in Yoruba), Moringa oleifera (Ewele in Yoruba), clove, lime, scent leaf, onion, African mahogany and neem leaf.

 

Twenty patients were divided into two groups of 10. Group A was on fixed-dose of ZLN only twice daily for 28 days, while group B was on ZLN with three teaspoonfuls of scent leaf preparation twice daily for 28 days concurrently.

 

None of the patients took any other drug for at least two weeks before the commencement of the study and no other drug was allowed during the study period. They were also monitored to ensure adherence to the study protocol. The level of the ZLN in their blood samples in both groups was later assessed.

 

There was a reduction in the blood concentration of nevirapine in individuals that concurrently used scent leaf extract and ARV as against those that used ARVs alone, suggesting that individuals on the simultaneous use of these medications may experience ARVs drug treatment failure.

 

The 2020 study published in the University of Ilorin Centrepoint Journal (Science Edition), involved Anoka A. Njan, Olalekan Ahmed Yusuf, Azeezat Oyediran-Ahmad, Özlem Nazan Erdoğan, Mathew Ofigbele and Solomon O. Olaoye.

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Using Ginger To Help Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes

GESTATIONAL diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy.  Although diet therapy, lifestyle change and physical activity are some of its treatments, many pregnant women cannot change their style easily. On the other hand, diabetic drugs are not routinely used yet.

 

Now, experts say that ginger can be useful in lowering the glucose of women with gestational diabetes mellitus. They found that treatment with ginger for six weeks could improve glucose status in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and prevent its consequences in pregnancy and suggested that because of the safety of this herbal medicine it can be part of treatments in future

 

The experts had studied the effect of ginger on blood glucose and insulin resistance in 70 women with gestational diabetes mellitus, who were in 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy, in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.  It was at the Prenatal Section of Arash Hospital in Tehran, Iran.

 

Gestational diabetes, also called diabetes during pregnancy, is a form of high blood sugar affecting pregnant women. It can induce complications with labour and delivery, including having a stillbirth. Those who develop gestational diabetes are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

 

In most cases, there are no symptoms. A blood sugar test during pregnancy is used for diagnosis. Treatment strategies include daily blood sugar monitoring, a healthy diet, exercise and monitoring of the baby. If blood sugar is too high, medication is required.

 

Ginger is a common ingredient that has long been used in various home remedies to treat and manage health conditions since time immemorial. Apart from being a staple ingredient in teas, ginger is used commonly as a herbal treatment for ailments like nausea, arthritis, migraine, lowering blood cholesterol level and indigestion.

 

In recent years, ginger has been used for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in human subjects. It increases insulin release and sensitivity.

 

In this study, the women were assigned to two groups of ginger or placebo. The ginger group received 126 tablets of ginger, and the placebo group received 126 tablets of placebo in three meals (after breakfast, lunch, and dinner) with their dietary regimen order for six weeks. At the first visit, a detailed history including demographic data and history of pregnancy was also obtained.

 

The blood sugar level two hours post-prandial (BS2hpp), fast blood sugar and insulin, as well as resistance to insulin, were determined before and six weeks after intervention.  This was in the 2020 edition of the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies.

 

They found that the average fast blood sugar, fasting insulin and level of resistance to insulin reduced significantly in the ginger group six weeks after intervention in comparison to the placebo group. But, the average blood sugar level two hours post-prandial did not show any significant reduction in the two groups.

 

According to them, a decrease in fasting blood sugar could reduce the number of women who needed to commence insulin therapy; this can be an improved outcome of pregnancy.

 

There was no significant difference between the ginger and placebo groups regarding the distribution of age, gestational age, Body Mass Index (BMI), housing situation, educational status, physical activity, daily dietary intake and occupation status at the beginning and end of the study.

 

Experts say that the beneficial effects of ginger on improving blood glucose level of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus could be because it inhibits enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity as a whole, thereby leading to greater glucose absorption in the muscles.

  

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Water Melon: Nature's Formidable Defence Against A Host Of Diseases

                Watermelon intake has demonstrated effects on blood pressure regulation along with other health benefits. Even consuming watermelon frequently as a dessert, fruit salad and in garnishing drinks could remediate metabolic complications that come with junk foods and a Western-style diet high in fat.

 

Experts, in a new study, said supplementing a diet high in fat with watermelon as a dessert, fruit salad and in garnishing drinks diet improved fasting blood glucose, circulating insulin concentrations in the blood, and changes in liver metabolite accumulation.

 

Even with a modest level of supplementation, the fiber-rich additives further improved glucose breakdown and energy efficiency. It was in the March 2020 edition of The Journal of Nutrition.

 

Watermelon is an unusual fruit source of the lycopene and an excellent source of water. It contains unusual amounts of the amino acids and citrulline. Also, watermelon is an excellent source of immune-supportive vitamin C and vitamin A (9.0 mg), potassium (11.2 mg) and magnesium (10.2 mg).

 

A plethora of evidence shows that it can be effective for weight loss because of its fewer quantities of fats.  As a result, the consumption of watermelon provides long-term health benefits such as reduced risk of heart disease, improved blood pressure in hypertension patients and decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation.

 

The researchers had assessed the intake of watermelon in high-fat–fed male mice. Ten-week-old male mice were provided either a low-fat diet or a high fat diet with watermelon skin or watermelon skin and rind were added at 2.25 per cent of diet. Body weights, food intake and glucose tolerance were determined.

 

The final body weight of the low fat control group was significantly lower than that of the high fat-fed control group. Mice in treatment groups fed high fat supplemented with watermelon products had final body weights similar to those of the high fat-fed control mice.

 

 

Insulin concentrations in the blood were reduced by approximately 40 per cent in mice fed a high fat diet with watermelon rind supplementation compared with mice fed a high fat diet alone. Depending on the individual species or group, microbiome populations changed significantly.

 

Moreover, in another study researchers had corroborated the antidiabetic potential of watermelon juice in alloxan-induced diabetic rats and declared that its juice may have a useful clinical application in the management of diabetes mellitus and its metabolic complications if developed as adjuvant therapy.  It was in the April 2020 edition of the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders.

 

Diabetes was induced in the rats and these animals were randomly grouped into five groups of normal control, untreated diabetic control, diabetic rats administered 200 mg/kg body weight of metformin, diabetic rats administered 500 mg/kg body weight of watermelon juice and diabetic rats administered 1000 mg/kg body weight of watermelon juice. The rats were sacrificed on the 14th day of the experiment and various parameters were also evaluated in their blood and body tissues.

 

The watermelon juice exhibits anti-oxidant properties in a dose-dependent manner. Added to this, the administration of different doses of the watermelon juice significantly reduced the fasting blood glucose level, level of fat in the blood and glucose-6-phosphatase in these rats made to develop diabetes under laboratory conditions.

 

Also, watermelon-starfruit Juice is also used traditionally for reducing blood pressure of hypertension in Indonesia. Expert’s in a test to determine the best therapeutic juice in reducing hypertension found watermelon, starfruit, and watermelon-starfruit mixture all have the same ability to reduce blood pressure. But the watermelon-star fruit juice was the best in reducing high blood pressure.

 

A sample of 33 people was selected and divided into three equal groups, namely drinking watermelon juice, drinking star fruit juice, and drinking watermelon-star fruit juice mixture group. It was in the 2020 edition of the SRP journal.

 

According to the study, the mean systolic blood pressure of the three groups before and after drinking juice showed a significant difference. Likewise, the mean diastolic blood pressure of the three groups before and after drinking juice showed a significant difference.

 

 

They added “all three groups have the same ability to reduce blood pressure, but the watermelon-star fruit juice group can reduce high blood pressure (hypertension) to become normal (norm tension).”

                  

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New Findings On Herbal Cure For Snake Bite

Snakes have always been a major pest posing a potential threat to humans from time immemorial. Plant-based repellents like lemongrass, bitter kola seeds, tobacco leaf, scent leaf and chilli pepper seeds have been used for generations as protective measures against snakes within homestead and other environments.

 

Despite these, ill health and deaths from snake infestation have continued to be a challenge, with heavy reliance on the use of synthetic antisnake venom. This has proved to be costly and in short supply. Some anti-venom medications also have adverse effects like shortness of breath, weak pulse, muscle tenderness, dizziness, fainting, and, in some cases, death due to bleeding.

 

On the other hand, traditional medicine in many countries employs the extracts of certain plants to provide protection against snake bites. They are cheap, easily available, and stable at room temperature and could neutralize a wide range of venom antigen without side effects.

 

For instance, Mucuna pruriens, (commonly referred to as velvet bean, agbala or agbaloko in Ibo and werepe in Yoruba) is well known for its anti-snake venom properties.  Eating few of its seeds is claimed to confer protection against snake bite in an individual for at least a year.

 

Now, researchers, investigating the extracts of Mucuna pruriens seed and Mimosa pudica root on venoms of Naja nigricollis (black-necked spitting cobra) and Bitis arietans (puff adder), said they may also be considered as promising anti-venom agents for people living in a snake-bite prone environment. Anti-venom acts by neutralizing snake venom that has entered the body.

 

Mimosa pudica is commonly called ‘touch-me-not’, kpakochuku in Igbo, patanmo in Yoruba.

 

In mice, at a concentration of 50 mg/ml, both plant extracts were found to neutralize the fibrinolysis (preventing blood clots occurring naturally and so causing problems) effect of the Naja nigricollis venom, but 400 mg/ml was required to neutralize the fibrinolysis effect of Bitis arietans.

 

Also, 50 mg/ml concentration of M. pruriens extract suppressed the haemolysis (breaking down of blood cells) caused by N. nigricollis venom by 70 per cent but at the same concentration, M. pudica extract reduced haemolysis by 49.4 per cent.

 

The 2020 study, in the journal, Recent Patents on Biotechnology, involved Matthew P. Ameh, Mamman Mohammed, Yusuf P. Ofemile, Magaji G Mohammed  and Ada Gabriel at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in conjunction  with Akefe O. Isaac at the Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

 

Before now, experts had suggested that the protective activity of Mucuna pruriens seeds protects against snake bite through the stimulation of antibodies that cross-react with venom toxins, thus the merit of the idea that its seed consumption can provide long-term protection against snake bite.

 

The study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry had identified a specific protein, MP-4, as that which reacts with antibodies the body had developed against Echis carinatus (saw-scaled viper) venom, thus strengthening the idea that the protective function is immunological.

 

Furthermore, mice immunized with MP-4, they found, showed significantly higher rates of survival than unimmunized mice when challenged with Echis carinatus venom.

 

Moreover, in another study, researchers reported the protective effect of M. pruriens seed extract against cobra (Javan spitting cobra) venom causing permanent damage to the heart.  In the journal, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, they suggested that the extract renders the heart more resistant to the toxic effect of the venom as well as help to boost the body’s immunity against the deadly venom.

 

Recent studies have found that Mucuna pruriens leaves are more effective than the standard drug, anti-venin, for curing snakebite. The study published in the International Journal of Biochemistry Research & Review investigated the anti-venom activity of Mucuna pruriens leaves extract against cobra (Naja hannah) venom.

 

 

However, scientists have recently validated some local plant as herbal medicines for snakebite management. These include English wild custard apple (Annona senegalensis), turmeric (Curcuma longa) and plantain (Musa paradiasica).

 

Annona senegalensis is commonly called English wild custard apple, tàllàfà màraàyú in Hausa; uburu-ọcha in Ibo; àbo and arere in Yoruba.

 

Researchers at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, said in the Journal of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences that the root extract of Annona senegalensis possesses potent snake venom-neutralising capacity against the Bitisarietans venom and could be used for therapeutic purposes in case of snakebite. 

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