Two recent articles that buttress each other hit Michael Roizen, M.D.’s reading stack this past month. These studies reinforce the notion that what is good for your brain, is also good for your heart. Read more about his analysis of these studies.
If you are providing healthcare for a woman who is pregnant, you may get questions about food and nutrition. Pregnancy is an important time for both mom (and baby!) to get good nutrition, but circumstances like food aversions, food cravings, and traveling while pregnant might make getting good nutrition a bit more challenging. The NUTRI-FACTS team sat down with Tori Schmitt, registered dietitian and new mom, to answer popular prenatal nutrition questions.
Food systems are major determinants of food quality and choices and, as a result, nutritional status and health. The private sector is the engine that drives food systems, with the food and beverage industry having a disproportional impact on nutrition and health outcomes as the “nutrition transition” in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) has shown, with increased consumption of sugar, fats, refined grains, and highly processed food.
Vitamin K consists of a group of vitamins that support blood clotting, bone metabolism and also help to regulate blood calcium levels. What may not be so obvious about vitamin K is its ability to maintain a person’s mobility.
Based on the well documented levels of DHA and ARA present in breast milk, and the WHO recommendation that breastfeeding should continue for 2 years or beyond, infants who are not breastfed should receive infant formulas and follow-on formulas that are supplemented with both DHA and ARA and in concentrations that are similar to breast milk.
Research suggests that a few nudges to regular eating habits will help synchronize the body’s internal systems. This is called chrono-nutrition. In addition to eating habits, there are several vitamins and nutrients that support overall health when taken at the best time of day to help sync the body’s systems.
In a newly published study, the effects of diet and FADS polymorphisms on the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) status of formula fed and breastfed infants were evaluated (1). Infants in this assessment were participants from the COGNIS study, which was conducted in Spain. FADS polymorphisms had a significant impact on DHA and ARA status in some formula fed infants.
Nutrition experts and health care practitioners at the 20th Journées Interactives de Réalités Pédiatriques (JIRP) in Versailles, France, a leading pediatric conference that reports on research and scientific developments in infant and child health, discussed the importance of dietary fats, including the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). Learn more.
DHA is vital to ensure a healthy pregnancy by supporting optimal maternal and infant health. The current recommendation is that pregnant women consume at least 500 mg of DHA omega-3 per day. (2) However, only a small proportion of women consume the recommended level. Learn why DHA omega-3 is such an important nutrient during pregnancy.
Keeping pace with the growing population of the planet can be challenging, especially when it comes to feeding the world. To feed everyone a healthy diet, our food production systems need to become more sustainable. A recent report titled “Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems,” published by the EAT-Lancet commission outlines several strategies that we can use to feed the world sustainably.
