Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association obese women are more likely to give birth to children with congenital anomalies such as spina-bifida, heart problems and cleft palate. Researchers insist the overall risk is low since birth defects only affect 2% to 4% of pregnancies, but obese women were more likely to have a child with heart defects and nearly twice as likely to have a brain or spinal cord deformity; Reuters investigates.

In addition to birth defects, obesity can increase mortality in infants and women who gain too much weight during pregnancy may raise fatter teenagers. And other reports have linked obesity with cancer and heart attack risk, and greater likelihood of miscarriage.

Belly fat in particular is a problem. Studies associate larger waist sizes with both migraine headaches and stroke. Clearly, those extra pounds are more than just a pain in the butt.

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New findings in the journal of Human Reproduction suggest perfluorinated compounds, fluorine-containing chemicals used to make products non-stick and found in shampoo, dental floss and denture cleaners, may cause infertility in women. Researchers studied 1,240 pregnant women, whose levels of the perfluorinated chemicals had been measured, concluding that higher levels of chemicals were associated with longer pregnancies and 26% to 33% reduced chance of getting pregnant; Reuters reports.

Moms aren’t the only ones at risk! Plastic toys and medical devices may be exposing babies to phthalates, a chemical used to make plastics flexible, and even eating certain fish, like tuna and shark, is a danger, risking mercury exposure, leading to birth defects.

And in 2007, it was discovered a chemical found in rocket fuel and explosives, called perchlorate, was turning up in women’s breast milk. Egad!

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A 12-ounce soda can have as much as nine teaspoons of sugar. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), an artificial sweetener made from corn, usually gets the blame, but one expert contends even if the food industry replaced all the HFCS with traditional sugar, we’d still have exactly the same health problems we have now, referring to our epidemic of obesity, heart disease and diabetes; The New York Times investigates.

And a few months ago there was a big push to prove high-fructose corn syrup is equal to sugar, which might be true, but still isn’t a reason to let HFCS off the hook. High-fructose corn syrup drives childhood obesity and leads to soda addiction in adolescents.

Then last week, a new study discovered mercury in high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid and sodium benzoate, all ingredients of soda. So yeah, don’t drink soda!

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A new study in Clinical and Experimental Allergy claims eating fast food once or twice a week negates the beneficial effects of breastfeeding. Fast food is becoming more pervasive in young children’s diets. So, scientists examined kids with or without asthma and found breastfeeding for too short of a time increased asthma-risk and kids breastfed for less than 3 months and ate a lot of fast food had an even higher risk; via The University of Alberta.

Listen, there’s no reason to eat fast food. But breastfeeding is important. In Disease-Proof Your Child, Dr. Fuhrman explains breast milk transfers important antibodies from mother to baby, which reduces risk of asthma and helps maximize intelligence.

Burgers and fries spread like locusts! In the Mediterranean, fast food is feeding an epidemic of heart disease, cancer and obesity.

Via The Daily Green.

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New research Epidemiology claims babies born to obese moms are more likely to die in the first weeks of life than infants of normal-weight mothers. Scientists examined medical records of more than 4,000 babies who died in infancy and records of over 7,000 surviving babies and found among the babies who died, 8.8% had obese mothers, compared to 5.9% of surviving infants. And women who gained the most weight during pregnancy had the highest rate of infant mortality; Reuters reports.

A previous study determined a mother’s diet can actually influence the gender of her baby and gaining too much weight during pregnancy can increase a child’s likelihood of becoming overweight, even into their teenager years. Wow, good thing my mom ate like a bird when she was spawning me.

So, be careful when you’re pregnant! Dr. Fuhrman suggests avoiding things like cat litter, paint thinner and smoking and not eating foods like deli meat, sushi and alcohol.

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