Mums-to-be ‘at risk’ from vitamin deficiency

[janeroar]

A study published In the Times today said 90% of pregnant women were lacking key vitamins. In fact their headline says vegan diets to blame but I think the problem is much more global than that. It made me think about women with thyroid problems and how much worse it probably is for them and their babies

Think our forum should be much more active about this issue. Dont know how but happy to be involved in pushing this issue.

[HealthStarDust]

The same story on the guardian gave much more detail. The Times seem to reported a very small snapshot of a wider problem

theguardian.com/science/202...

[humanbean]

I completely agree that any woman wanting to conceive should have as many nutrients tested and optimised before attempting to conceive.

I wish I'd done this before I started IVF, but it was at a time long before I knew that I could pay for testing, and could buy iron supplements (which I was convinced for years were prescription-only, but it turned out they weren't - and I only found this out by accident). One of my early problems was I had no idea how much private medical treatment actually cost and imagined myself going bankrupt and homeless if I tried to go private without insurance.

[humanbean]

Tests on more than 1,700 women in the UK, New Zealand and Singapore who planned to conceive revealed that most were lacking nutrients found in abundance in meat and dairy products, many of which are crucial for healthy foetal development.

This is why I worry about the future health of children, and I wonder if low nutrients could be a contributor to low birth rates.

People are told that meat and dairy are dangerous to health and that all we need are nuts, pulses, and vegetables.

Meat and dairy are often blamed for cardiovascular disease because - shock, horror! - they contain saturated fat. Saturated fat isn't even dangerous.

Doctors in the UK appear to be trained to believe that nobody suffers from low nutrients because we all have plenty to eat. And anyone who is fat is definitely assumed to be eating food by the ton, so must have plenty of nutrients. But guess what? Being deficient in iron is known to be a cause of obesity, or a factor that makes losing weight very difficult, if not impossible, in some people.

Title : Dr. Paul Mason - 'How iron deficiency and inflammation can make you fat - a female perspective'

Link : youtube.com/watch?v=PtczW43...(Not working as expected?)

[janeroar in reply to humanbean]

Absolutely true everything you say.

I think nutrient deficiency is a pandemic all of its own. And I don’t think popping vitamins is the total solution. We need good quality unprocessed food first and foremost. Walk into any shop and 90% of the shelves filled with stuff that harms people. Can’t believe we have got to this situation

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I was expecting someone to post this story!

If you go back over the years, you will find a substantial number of women who are trying to conceive who have posted here.

They have sometimes gone through everything their GP has offered, from specialised fertility clinics up to IVF and preparing for embryo transfer. And only then do they find out they have a thyroid issue. Sometimes also having poor nutrient levels - if they have had any tested.

All this causes upset, panic, anxiety, etc.

It is all the wrong way round! If anyone is considering conception, now or in the future, they should be able to get a broad nutrient panel and thyroid tests (and quite possibly other things). Hopefully giving time to address any issues found - whether months or years.