Saturday, April 9, 2011

Can eating red meat help stop your baby from crying?

I came across this article recently that suggests that "Mothers-to-be who boost their intake of a vitamin found in steak during the first three months of pregnancy are up to eight times more likely to have babies who cry less".
This research was published in the Early Human Development journal and involved nearly 3,000 pregnant women.
"The researchers found that those women whose test results showed they had the least B12 were up to eight times more likely to give birth to a child who cried for prolonged periods than those who had the most.
On average, five per cent of mothers lacking B12 had a distressed baby while just over one per cent of women with the most B12 reported their baby cried excessively.
The researchers, from the Public Health Service in the Netherlands, concluded: 'This study provides first evidence for an early nutritional origin in infant crying behaviour.

'The results suggest infants born to women with a low B12 status during pregnancy are at a higher risk for excessive crying behavior in their first months of life.'

The researchers suggest that a lack of B12 may affect how much of a supportive tissue known as myelin, which surrounds and protects the nerve cells, is produced in the brain. Less myelin could cause irritability, they suggest.
They also say B12 could affect sleep cycles because low levels prevent the release of the body's sleep hormone, melatonin."
To read the full article please click here





No comments:

Post a Comment