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Women who are vegans and vegetarians most affected, study says

(HealthDay News) — Women who do not have enough vitamin B12 in their blood before and after conception have a greater chance of having a baby with brain or spinal cord defects, a new study says.

Most at risk may be vegans and vegetarians, since B12 is far more common in meat and animal-based foods, noted an American and Irish research team whose findings were published in the March issue of Pediatrics..

According to the study, women with low levels of B12 had at least 2.5 times the risk of giving birth to a child with these neural tube defects, which can lead to partial paralysis or even death, than women with the highest B12 levels.

“Vitamin B12 is essential for the functioning of the nervous system and for the production of red blood cells,” Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a news release issued by its parent organization, the U.S. National Institutes of Health. “The results of this study suggest that women with low levels of B12 not only may risk health problems of their own, but also may increase the chance that their children may be born with a serious birth defect.”

Women with B12 concentrations below 250 ng/L before pregnancy had roughly three times the risk of having a child with a neural tube defect as those with higher B12 blood levels. Those women whose levels were less than 150 ng/L, which is considered B12 deficient, had five times the risk of women with higher levels.

While confirmation from other studies is needed, the authors suggested women should have vitamin B12 levels above 300 ng/L before becoming pregnant. Study co-author Dr. James L. Mills, a senior investigator in the NICHD division of epidemiology, statistics and prevention research, went further, recommending all women of childbearing age always consume the daily recommended amount of vitamin B12 and at least 400 micrograms of folic acid.

An environmental health specialist at Stirling University in Scotland, Dr. Baillie-Hamilton details how toxins may be linked to dozens of serious health problems, including immune system diseases, neurological disorders, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, cardio-vascular diseases, cancer, hypersensitivity, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders and childhood health problems. “These chemicals are simply not going to go away,” Institute reports “pesticides are a likely cause of immune suppression for millions of people throughout the world” and that 25% of the chemicals in the environment are neurotoxins linked to increased incidence of brain disease.
The Ugly Side of Cosmetics
February 3, 2005 the Food and Drug Administration issued an unprecedented warning to the cosmetics industry stating that the Agency is serious about enforcing the law requiring companies to inform consumers that personal care products have not been safety tested. When risky chemicals are used in cosmetics, the stakes are high. These compounds are not trace contaminants. They are the base ingredients of the product, just as flour is an ingredient in bread. Many of these chemicals are found in percent levels in personal care products, nearly all easily penetrate the skin, and some are ingested directly after they are applied to lips or hands. And increasingly, companies are adding customized, futuristic “penetration enhancers” to drive ingredients even deeper into the skin, like Loreal’s new nanoparticle technology — a miniscule, fluid-filled sack designed to burrow deep into the skin to deliver its “active ingredients.” No safety testing required. Scientists find common cosmetic ingredients in human tissues, like industrial plasticizers called phthalates in urine, preservatives called parabens in breast tumor tissue, and persistent fragrance components like musk xylene in human fat. Do the levels at which they are found pose risks? Those studies have not been done. They are not required.
So our advice
Find same cosmetic products that are availble and are in hi demand.

The amount of toxins in our environment has reached a level where the FDA now has designated “permissible” levels of dioxin and other harmful chemicals in the environment, food and cosmetics. Today we have over 300 chemical toxins including dioxin in the tissues that were not found in any human before 1940.  Make-up and body care products have been linked to allergic reactions, birth defects, and even cancer. It is a medically recognized fact that our body absorbs significant amounts of what we put on our skin. The absence of government oversight for this $35 billion industry leads to companies routinely marketing products with ingredients that are poorly studied, not studied at all, or worse, known to pose potentially serious health risks.

Make-up and body care products have been linked to allergic reactions, birth defects, and even cancer. It is a medically recognized fact that our body absorbs significant amounts of what we put on our skin. With certified organic food rapidly becoming the nutrition of choice by the health conscious amongst us, why would we accept any less for our skin? 

  To be continued….

The same place cows do….plants. ©2006 Dr. Karyn Mitchell N.D., Ph.D. 
A recent study from the American Journal of Epidemiology (medicalnewstoday.com) states, “If you are a woman and you get most of your protein from plants (vegetables) you are significantly less likely to need to have your gallbladder taken out.”

Breast Cancer statistics in 33 countries of the world were compiled and data from the World Health Organization show the highest correlation between female breast cancer mortality rates and animal source calorie consumption. Nutritional research biochemist T. Colin Campbell states, “Meat and dairy promote cancer growth and plant based vegan diet can prevent or reverse cancer.”

There is a mountain of evidence against animal source protein in the healthy diet, but you have to care enough about your health (and the health of your family) to research that evidence. An easy way to check is to buy the documentary DVD called “Eating, Vol. II.” Or book by Michael Anderson called The Rave Diet and Lifestyle, or order online at http://ravediet.com/ It contains life saving information.

Meanwhile to help your body to get rid of toxins we suggest to use antioxidants. Isotonix OPC-3® is an isotonic-capable food supplement that is made from a combination of bilberry, grape seed, red wine, pine bark extracts and citrus extract bioflavonoids, all found to be potent antioxidants.