Posts Tagged ‘Folate’

Restless Leg Syndrome and Supplements

Comments: 0October 18th, 2011 by admin



Restless Legs Syndrome is a condition that affects about ten percent of the population. The disorder is characterized by an urge to move the legs, usually accompanied by or caused by uncomfortable leg sensations. People with RLS often have difficulty describing their symptoms. Common terms used to describe the sensations are aching, twitching, tingling, burning, creeping, crawling, itching, flowing, pulling, searing and painful. Many people experience these sensations in their legs, but the arms or other body regions also can be affected. The symptoms of RLS are generally worse at night, can be brought on by rest and are relieved by standing up or walking around.

MY STORY

I, too, suffer from RLS occasionally. I’ve had periods of my life where the condition seemed to worsen (probably stress-related). Some of the following suggestions may work for you, for others maybe not. For me, the lifestyle changes I made to help with my insomnia also helped with my RLS. I still have a sleepless night or a night with RLS, but they are far less frequent. Although http://www.natural-cures-for-insomnia.com does not endorse drug use, there are new drugs available for extreme cases of RLS when nothing else works.

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS

Treatment begins by dealing with any underlying medical condition that may be cause the symptoms. Many times the cause is unknown, but it can be associated with neurological disorders, diabetes, stress and pregnancy. The serious sleep loss can not only lead to drowsiness, but could lead to depression and accidental injuries as well. In recent years, researchers have discovered that iron, folate or vitamin E levels are often low in RLS sufferers and supplementation can frequently help. For example, when iron deficiency is the cause, taking iron supplements can significantly reduce the symptoms of RLS.

“We know that iron deficiency is involved because every condition that produces iron deficiency, such as anemia or pregnancy, increases the risk of RLS dramatically,” says Richard Allen, PhD, a diplomat on the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a founder of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center. In fact, based on studies of hospital patients, about 40 percent of people with anemia had RLS and about 20 percent to 40 percent of pregnant women have RLS.

Another way researchers know that iron plays a role is iron-deficient patients’ response to iron supplementation. “Then when the iron deficiency is corrected, the RLS often remits,” Dr. Allen says.

Some people with RLS, however, have normal iron levels. Researchers say that’s not a reason to discount iron as an underlying cause of their RLS. Studies indicate that the problem is the brains of RLS patients may not absorb iron normally.

Some other treatment options which may relieve pain include leg massages, hot baths, heat or icepacks, aspirin or other over-the-counter pain relievers, and the elimination of caffeine. As well, regular sleep habits and exercise, especially earlier in the day, will help people enjoy more restful sleep.

MAGNESIUM AND CALCIUM

Cramps in the lower limbs, restless leg syndrome and sleeplessness can be eased by the addition of calcium and magnesium to the diet. Magnesium is more easily absorbed by the body in the form of dolomite, or with the addition of calcium.

Magnesium helps to support a strong immune system and maintains normal muscle and nerve function. It is also known to be involved in every metabolism and protein synthesis and is needed for over three hundred biochemical reactions in the body, so it is very important.

One of the benefits of magnesium is its muscle relaxing properties. The heart is a muscle and high blood pressure is often caused by the heart not relaxing sufficiently on its outward (diastolic) beat. There is increasing interest in the role magnesium can play in managing hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

WHAT TO AVOID

You should avoid things that can make symptoms of RLS worse:

Tobacco

Alcohol

Caffeine–Chocolate, coffee, tea, and some soft drinks contain caffeine. Although it may seem to help overcome daytime sleepiness, caffeine usually only delays or masks RLS symptoms, and often makes them worse.
Some types of over-the-counter and prescription medicines can also make RLS symptoms worse. These include:

Anti-depressants (most of them)

Anti-nausea medicines

Anti-psychotic medicines

Antihistamines

Good supplements to take are iron, folic acid, co-enzyme Q10, extracts of ginko biloba and garlic tablets.

Acupuncture and magnet therapy are also worth trying to help with restless legs syndrome.

If you are taking prescription medication, always consult your health care professional before taking supplements.

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Taking Folic Acid While Pregnant is Good For Fetal Health

Comments: 0December 11th, 2010 by admin



Folic acid is an important vitamin to the developing fetus in that it aids cell development, particularly those cells involved in the development of the baby’s spine. A deficiency can result in neural tube defects, in which the neural tube, down through which the central nervous system passes, fails to close properly.

However, let’s first discuss the substance itself so that its function in that process can be more easily understood. Neither should we ignore the other benefits that folic acid gives us, or the problems we can have in the event of a deficiency.

Folic acid is a form of Vitamin B9, sometimes referred to as Vitamin M. Its anionic form is known as folate, which is the form in which it is frequently offered in supplements. Incidentally, it gets its name from the Latin for leaf, so is from the same root as foliage. It is water soluble, and like Vitamin C can be leached through the body if not immediately used.

It is available naturally from leafy and green vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, spinach and peas, but is also available in fortified breakfast cereals, sunflower seeds and some fruits. You would not normally suffer a deficiency, but if you are taking anticonvulsants, have liver problems or undergoing kidney dialysis, then you might need a supplement. Pregnancy, of course, is the important case in which a supplement should be taken, although, surprisingly, many mothers-to-be are unaware of this.

New body cells need folate for their production, particularly when they are dividing and growing rapidly such as during pregnancy and in infancy. The formation of DNA depends on many chemical entities, among them four nitrogenous bases, of which three, thymine and the two purine bases, adenine and guanine, depend on folate for their synthesis. If the growing fetus is lacking folate then DNA synthesis will be hindered. This retards cell division and growth.

Among the conditions this can cause are a form of anemia known as megaloblastic anemia, and neural tube deficiencies, where the sheath that surrounds the main nerve canal up the spine fails to close properly. The best known of such neural tube defects is spina bifida, though any condition caused by a lack of cell division can also occur. Anemia can be contracted by both adults and children, since production of red blood cells takes place constantly throughout your lifetime. These are the reasons why folic acid or folate is used in breakfast cereals.

The biochemistry is fairly simple to understand, and is important because it explains the importance of two other B vitamins, B3 and B12, in DNA synthesis. The initial stages are a six step reaction that forms methyl tetrahydrofolate from folate, starting with the reduction of folate to dihydrofolate, and then a further reduction to the tetrahydrofolate (THF). Vitamin B3 (in the form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) is an essential cofactor for these reductions. Vitamin B12 is necessary as an acceptor for the methyl-THF so that it can continue along the biochemical pathway – now that is too complex to discuss here!

However, the inference you can rightly draw from this is that a deficiency of Vitamin B12 can cause what is known as a ‘methyl trap’, whereby the methy-THF cannot be used, and so a deficiency in Vitamin B12 can lead to the same symptoms as a folic acid or folate deficiency.

The implications of that are that vitamin B12 is also an essential component of a pregnant woman’s diet. The problem here is that this vitamin is available only from animal sources, including dairy products. Its presence in vegetable organisms such as certain algae and fungi has been proposed, but it is believed that the cobalamin (chemical term for the vitamin) from these sources is not bioavailable to humans.

Vegans, therefore, who do not eat dairy products, will need a Vitamin B12 supplement in addition to folic acid or folate, particularly when they are pregnant and with young growing children. In this respect, a vegan diet is unsuitable for young children until their rapid growth period has stabilized.

For those of you wondering why the biochemistry above was discussed: that is your answer. Such discussions can frequently explain why certain supplements are necessary, or certain diets should be reconsidered under particular circumstances. Such things are easier to understand and accept when the logic behind them are explained. A folic acid supplement taken from the onset of pregnancy up to 12 weeks at least, and also a Vitamin B12 supplement in the case of those with a low meat intake, should prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

A daily supplement of 0.4 mg should be sufficient, along with a diet rich in green vegetables, fortified cereals and breads and oranges. Your greens are best steamed since prolonged boiling destroys folic acid – as it destroys Vitamin C. One source of folic acid that you might read about is liver, and its additional iron content might lead you to believe this to be a good component of your diet when pregnant. However, although normally a very nutritious food, liver should be avoided during pregnancy due to its high Vitamin A content. This can be harmful to your baby.

Finally, there are some circumstances under which the dose during pregnancy should be greater. If you have previously had a child with a neural tube defect, or have an NTD yourself (or your partner), if you are diabetic, if you have celiac disease (a gluten allergy) or are taking anti-epileptic medication, you should increase your dose to 5 mg (milligrams) for which you will likely need a prescription from your physician.

NTD is rare, so don’t over-worry much about it, but take the above precautions to put your mind at rest since pregnancy is not a time during which you should be nervous but to enjoy. That will pass on to your growing baby, which will then itself be happy.

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Pregnancy Diet For A Healthy Motherhood

Comments: 0August 6th, 2010 by admin



Pregnancy, the most vital phase in a women’s life, makes her go through several psychological, emotional and physical changes. With the evolving baby in your body, your body begins to demand more from its average intake of diet. This is where a balanced pregnancy diet bridges the gap for extra nutrients that your body requires for a healthy pregnancy.

Plan Your Diet Wisely

Although the demand for nutrients increases during pregnancy, but it is always wise to plan and choose food from various food groups. Ensure that your nutrition during pregnancy has food like vegetables, fruits, grains, pulses and milk products which are rich in calcium, protein, Vitamin A,B and C. Apart from these food combinations you have to ensure that you have certain nutrients which are vital for you and your child’s growth during your pregnancy stage. For the sake of ease let us list down the nutrients which play a significant role in our pregnancy diet:-

Folic Acid In Pregnancy Diet

Folic acid, better known as Folate, is rich in vitamin B and is found mostly in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, orange juice and kale(type of Cabbage). Folate prevents your child from serious abnormalities of the brain and spine. Lack of Folic acid leads to inadequate growth of the fetus, underdeveloped brain, incomplete closure of spinal cord, preterm delivery and low birth weight.

Calcium in pregnancy diet

Calcium is another important nutrient, which should be a part of your pregnancy Diet. Calcium is used by the body. When a women’s body begins to lack in calcium, the body itself begins to take calcium from the bones needed for the baby, thus making the bones weak and in the end fragile enough to break (osteoporosis). Having dairy products like fat free milk, hard cheese, green leafy vegetables like kale, fortified food like Orange juice and cereals will help you overcome your deficiency for calcium.

Iron In Pregnancy Diet

During your pregnancy period, the need for iron intake also increases. Iron in our blood helps carry oxygen to the blood cells. During pregnancy women have blood in excess volume, so this excess blood requires an excess amount of iron. During pregnancy not just your blood cells but your growing child’s cells require oxygen, this is where again the demand for the amount of oxygen is fulfilled by iron.

Lack of iron leads to Anemia, which can result in preterm delivery or low weight baby, excessive low iron could make your child anemic in infancy. Iron deficiency can be made up by having red meat, shellfish, beans, potatoes and iron fortified cereals.

Concerns On Pregnancy Weight Planning

Pregnancy weight has always been a matter of concern for women during pregnancy. Weight varies from women to women and from pregnancy to pregnancy, so you need not worry too much.

If you are underweight try to gain a little weight as underweight women mostly have underweight babies. Doctors normally try to ensure that you gain weight through your pregnancy diet. If you don’t your body fat is used to support pregnancy.

If overweight you obviously do not want to gain more, but losing weight during pregnancy is not a good idea as it could affect your child. Thus, overweight women should try not to gain anything more than 15 pounds throughout their pregnancy.

On a closing note, have a balanced and disciplined pregnancy diet for a happy and healthy motherhood.

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Iron Rich Foods For Pregnancy

Comments: 0August 1st, 2010 by admin



During the last trimester of pregnancy, you need to eat more foods high in iron than you normally would. This is because your body is busy making more red blood cells so as to supply enough for you and your baby. Each blood cell uses iron as a core. Iron can’t be manufactured by your body; it must be absorbed from the food you eat.

Iron is found in lots of different foods, but it is difficult to absorb. This makes it hard for your body to take in enough iron to meet its needs when you are pregnant. If you don’t provide your body with enough iron in your diet, your body makes fewer red blood cells. This is known as anemia. Anemia from iron deficiency is very common, and, fortunately, is fairly easy to remedy, as well.

Your body also needs a nutrient known as folate to make healthy red blood cells. Folate is easy to absorb and you can find it in most green vegetables.

What causes anemia? It’s usually brought on by a poor intake of folate- and iron-rich foods. It can also be caused by the destruction of red blood cells that occurs occasionally when you’re sick.

What are the symptoms and signs of anemia? Sometimes you won’t experience any symptoms. But if your anemia is severe, you may feel fatigued and weak.

Can you prevent anemia? Yes, you can eat foods high in iron. These include fortified grains, dried beans, eggs, fish, chicken and meat. The type of iron that is found in meats is called heme and it is easier to absorb than the iron that’s found in vegetables. If you’re suffering from anemia and you already eat meat, increasing the meat that you consume will readily increase the iron that your body receives from it.

Also, it’s a good idea to eat foods that are high in folic acid, like orange juice, wheat germ, green leafy vegetables and dried beans. Always eat foods that are high in vitamin C, too. This includes fresh raw vegetables, and citrus fruits.

Another way to get iron, and something people don’t think of very often, is cooking with iron pots. This can add up to 80% more iron to your diet that food cooked in aluminum. Be sure to always remember to take your prenatal vitamins, and your mineral pills that contain extra folate.

You can also take vitamin and iron tablets. Since it’s hard to get enough iron in your diet, you may need to take a supplement, in addition to eating foods high in iron. There is usually enough iron in your prenatal vitamin to avert anemia, but your health care provider may prescribe an extra iron supplement if you’re anemic. Take it in small amounts if it upsets your stomach. You may want to take a stool softener as well. Don’t take your iron supplement with calcium supplements or dairy products.

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Symptoms of Anemia the Hidden Disease

Comments: 0April 29th, 2009 by admin



Anemia is a general term for a category of blood conditions that affect the red blood cells or the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin they contain.

In anemia, there is either a reduction in the number of red blood cells in circulation or a decrease in the amount or quality of hemoglobin. There are many causes of anemia, including severe blood loss, genetic disorders, and serious diseases. (See iron-deficiency anemia, pernicious anemia [vitamin B12-related], and sickle cell anemia.) Anyone with unexplained anemia should have the cause determined by a qualified doctor.

Some athletes appear to have anemia when their blood is tested, but this may be a normal adaptation to the stress of exercise,1 which does not need treatment. Further evaluation by a qualified doctor is necessary.

The symptoms of anemia include tiredness, headaches, and generally feeling irritable. These symptoms can be severe, but are sometimes overlooked by doctors who assume the symptoms are due to other existing conditions, or the after effects of medication. This means a person’s anemia could go undiagnosed and without treatment, and so the tiredness, headaches and irritation remain, getting worse with time. People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer are all at risk of anemia.

It’s important to consult your doctor to ensure anemia is properly diagnosed, and not hidden underneath any other condition you have. If you find you’re suffering from anemia then it is important to supplement with deficient vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin B12, and folate. In the case of cancer, where the number of prescribed medications taken will probably be high, it is important to check for drug-vitamin interactions.

Don’t let anemia hide behind another one of your health concerns. Get the right supplements to fight both your disease, and the anemia hidden behind it.

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