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

Folic acid supplementation is dangerous – especially for pregnant women

In a 10-year study,^1,2 scientists found that women who take multivitamins containing folic acid increase their breast cancer risk by 20-30%.

Even more alarming are the associations between supplemental folic acid during pregnancy and death from breast cancer,⁸ and asthma and respiratory tract infections in children.^5-6

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Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, a B vitamin, which is abundant in green vegetables. Folate protects against birth defects known as neural tube defects (NTDs). Pregnant women could safely increase their folate status and prevent NTDs by eating green vegetables, but instead they are instructed to take folic acid supplements, putting them and their children at risk. Folic acid supplements are not a substitute for folate-containing green vegetables – there are inverse associations between maternal vegetable intake and childhood cancers.^12-13

Unlike synthetic folic acid, folate obtained from food sources – especially green vegetables – protects against breast and prostate cancer.

There is inverse relationship between dietary folate intake and breast and prostate cancer.^14,3 Chemical differences between folate and folic acid translate into differences in uptake and processing of these two substances by the cells in the intestinal wall – excess folic acid in the circulation can occur. Luckily, folate from food comes naturally packaged in balance with other micronutrients and the body regulates its absorption.⁹

Rich sources of food folate

As a reference point, the U.S. RDA for folate is 400μg. Below is the approximate folate content for a 100-calorie serving.⁸

Additional foods listed in full article

Clearly, we do not need synthetic folic acid supplements to meet our daily folate requirements.

Dr. Fuhrman’s Gentle Care Formula Multivitamin does not contain folic acid

Supplemental folic acid has also been linked to prostate cancer³, colorectal cancer⁴, and overall cancer mortality.⁷ Because folate is abundant in the nutritarian diet, and synthetic folic acid is so potentially dangerous, folic acid is not included in Dr. Fuhrman’s Gentle Care multivitamin.

Dr. Fuhrman does not recommend prenatal vitamins because of the potentially harmful ingredients, such as folic acid.

Dr. Fuhrman’s special recommendations for pregnant women:

• Gentle Care Formula
• Osteo-Sun
• Iron supplementation (approx. 30 mg/day when needed)
• DHA Purity
• A nutrient dense diet, rich in green vegetables (and folate)

(See full article for references)

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 The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is warning the public that antibiotic overuse has the potential to cripple the entire modern medical system.¹

Despite public awareness campaigns about responsible use of antibiotics, antibiotics continue to be prescribed for colds, flu, sinusitis and bronchitis. Medical authorities continually warn doctors that antibiotics should NOT be prescribed for routine bronchitis and sinusitis. The scientific studies show that they do not improve outcome.  These are infections that, except in rare instances, are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Plus, these infections resolve by strengthening the immune system with excellent nutrition, not weakening it and creating more serious future infections that can develop as a result of antibiotic use

As inappropriate use of antibiotics continues, more and more resistant microbes will spread, and antibiotics will consequently become less effective. Drug-resistant bacteria emerge from mutations – microbes are constantly mutating, and these mutations eventually cause resistance to antibiotics.

Drug-resistant infections kill about 19,000 people each year in the U.S., and are a significant cost to the healthcare system.¹ Drug-resistant bacteria have the potential to compromise our ability to perform procedures for which antibiotics are crucial.

"If this wave of antibiotic resistance gets over us, we will not be able to do organ transplants, hip replacements, cancer chemotherapy, intensive care and neonatal care for premature babies."

- Dominique Monnet, ECDC scientific advice unit¹

The dangers of antibiotic overuse extend further than infection alone – all drugs have side effects, and antibiotics are especially toxic, and their side-effects are significant. . Antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately – therefore they disrupt our microbial balance, killing the beneficial flora that aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients and keep other microbes at bay. Children who are prescribed more antibiotics in the first year of life are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma and allergies during childhood.³  Antibiotic use has even been linked to a higher incidence of breast cancer.⁴   

Antibiotics are one of the most common medications taken by pregnant women, and a new study has made connections between antibiotics use during pregnancy and incidence of birth defects. Sulfonamides and nitrofurantoins were each associated with several birth defects – women who took these classes of antibiotics while pregnant were 2-4 times as likely to give birth to a baby with a heart defect. The more commonly used penicillins, eythromycins, and cephalosporins were each associated with at least one birth defect.²  

Antibiotics are not harmless medications and should be reserved for severe (and carefully documented) bacterial infections - infections that would seriously threaten the health of the patient if left untreated. We have powerful immune systems which, when supported by excellent nutrition, will clear the more moderate infections without help from drugs. 

References:

1. http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5A927820091110
2. Crider KS et al. Antibacterial medication use during pregnancy and risk of birth defects: National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009 Nov;163(11):978-85.
3. Foliaki S et al. Antibiotic use in infancy and symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in children 6 and 7 years old: International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Phase III. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Nov;124(5):982-9.
4. Velicer CM et al. Antibiotic Use in Relation to the Risk of Breast Cancer. JAMA. 2004;291:827-835.

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According to a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, mothers reduce their risk of breast cancer—even if they have family history—by breast feeding. However, researchers aren’t sure why.

Why breastfeeding reduces risk of breast cancer is unknown. The authors suspect that when women do not breastfeed, inflammation and engorgement shortly after birth causes changes in breast tissue that may increase risk for breast cancer. Breastfeeding followed by weaning may prevent this inflammation.

When the researchers compared data about women who breastfed and those who did not, there was a 25 percent total reduction in incidence of premenopausal breast cancer. But, Alison Stuebe, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and lead author of the study, says, that statistic was accounted for by women without a family history of the disease.

“We did not find an association between breastfeeding and premenopausal breast cancer among women without a family history of breast cancer,” Stuebe says. “This could be because there’s something about genetically caused breast cancer that’s affected by breastfeeding, or it could be because rates of breast cancer were so low in women without a family history that we couldn’t see an association in this data set.”

Dr. Fuhrman is a big advocate of breastfeeding, but—in regard to recent news about children’s lack of vitamin D—he suggests breastfeeding mothers still give their kids a vitamin D supplement.

Via Newswise.

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Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats that reduce inflammation, inhibit cancer development and protect our blood vessels. There are long-chain and short chain fatty acids. Short-chain omega-3 fats are found in some green vegetables, walnuts, and flax, chia, and hemp seeds. The basic building block of short-chain omega-3 fat is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Our bodies are only capable of converting a small amount of these short chain fats to long-chain omega-3 fats, called docoshexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Studies show that people have varying ability to convert ALA into DHA and EPA. Apparently, some people eating sufficient ALA from greens, seeds and walnuts can achieve adequate levels while others cannot. Men generally convert less than women. Conversion of ALA by the body to these longer-chain fatty acids is inefficient: < 5-10% for EPA and only 2-5% for DHA.1

DHA is one of the crucial building blocks of human brain tissue. It has been shown to protect against dementia, depression, inflammatory diseases, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), allergies, and to offer significant benefits for overall cardiovascular health.

Early in life, DHA is supplied via the placenta and from breast milk. While adequate DHA is particularly important for pregnant and nursing women and young children, it is beneficial for all ages!

• Improves your child's intelligence

• Aids depression and Attention Deficit Disorder

• Improves memory

• Important for brain and eye development

• Promotes smoother skin; prevents wrinkles

• Helps prevent heart disease and arthritis

• Lowers risk of Alzheimer's and senior dementia

• Lowers "bad" cholesterol

These long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are also produced by marine algae which serve as the source of DHA and EPA in fish. Although, fish is a good source of EPA and DHA, unfortunately, it's one of the most polluted foods which we eat. Therefore, it can not be considered a safe source of these healthy fats.

Fish have been shown to contain fat soluble petrochemicals, such as PCB's and dioxins as a result of the dumping of toxic waste and raw sewage into our oceans. Fish also contains mercury. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 12 women of childbearing age in the United States have unsafe mercury levels (and the CDC's threshold for safety is high). Multiple studies have illustrated most of the body's mercury load comes from the consumption of fish.

For these reasons, I recommend consuming little or no fish. If you choose to consume fish, try to stay away from those high in fat and known to be high in mercury such as shark, swordfish, mackerel, pike, tuna, snapper, lobster, grouper, sea bass and bluefish. Instead, use the lower fat (less polluted) fish such as flounder, sole, haddock, scallops, squid, trout, hake, ocean perch, shrimp and tilapia.

Some nutritional advisors encourage consuming high amounts of flax seed oil to promote the conversion of enough DHA. I do not agree. First of all, flax seed oil is an empty calorie food with little or no vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and flavonoids that were present in the original seeds. Furthermore, we have a significant collection of data that indicates that the consumption of high doses of ALA from flax oil may increase, not decrease the risk of prostate cancer.1 In contrast, flax seed consumption has been shown in multiple studies to lower the risk of both breast cancer and prostate cancer.3

I prefer people not consume much fish to assure sufficient consumption or conversion of omega-3s. Since the ability to self-convert short chain ALA into long-chain DHA is so variable from person to person, I recommend a mixture of natural omega-3 containing plants plus some extra plant-derived DHA. I advise people obtain their omega-3 fats by consuming the cleaner, plant sources such as walnuts, flax, chia, and hemp seeds and by also taking a daily DHA supplement like my DHA Purity. My DHA Purity is a laboratory cultivated DHA product made from microalgae. It is a pure form of DHA without environmental contamination or unnecessary disruption of our ocean life. 

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According to new research in The Journal of Nutrition, experts claim low blood levels of vitamin D increase risk of a harmful bacteria infection called vaginosis. For the study, scientists tested 469 women in their first trimester of pregnancy and found 41% of women had vaginosis and 52% had low levels of vitamin D. The women with vaginosis had lower levels of vitamin D than those without the infection; Reuters explains.

Recently, low levels of vitamin D were tied to multiple sclerosis and higher risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. So make sure you get enough vitamin D! Vitamin D reduces risk of prostate cancer and helps build strong bones, which protects against osteoporosis.

If you need help keeping your vitamin D up, Dr. Fuhrman’s Osteo-Sun is specially formulated to provide sufficient vitamin D, both in its vegan and non-vegan forms.

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To me, as a single guy, pregnancy means sweaty palms, shortness of breath and an anxiety attack, but to women, it’s apparently a big deal. Who knew! Now, we all know women care about their figures, but should pregnant women lose weight and exercise? Here’s a quick discussion about pregnancy from Dr. Fuhrman’s member center:

Question: I am 45 years old and just found out I am pregnant. I recently gained seven pounds and was gradually losing it before I knew I was pregnant. Should I try to avoid losing the last few pounds and just keep my weight stable?

And are there restrictions on exercise or lifting. I currently do about 15 to 20 minutes strength training and about 20 to 30 minutes riding a bike and I frequently lift heavy boxes and my four year old.

Dr. Fuhrman: Even if you aren’t pregnant, if you don't overeat and only eat when you’re really hungry, your weight will drop to the healthiest weight for you. And if you are pregnant and you eat healthfully, don't overeat and only eat when you are hungry. Your weight will rise to the healthiest weight for the two of you.

In regard to exercise, whatever activity you are presently accustomed to, you can continue, until the sixth month. Then start to decrease gradually over the last few months, being careful not to strain yourself.

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• Sex is important, especially if you’re not getting any, and for women with type-1 diabetes sex can be a real drag. According to a new study in the journal Diabetes Care involving 652 women with type-1 diabetes, completing a survey on sex and undergoing a physical examination, mood evaluation and laboratory testing, 51% of women reported orgasm problems; Reuters explains.

• Presented at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting, researchers found overweight mothers are 65% more likely to have children with asthma. The study assessed the weight of mothers of nearly 4,000 children prior to pregnancy, following them from birth to age 8. The average age of mothers was 30, and almost 21% were overweight; HealthDay News reports.

• Also discussed at Thoracic Society's meeting was research claiming vitamin D may slow the decline in asthmatic people’s ability to breathe, specifically those with human airway smooth muscle (HASM) proliferation. HASM causes remodeling of the airway, leading to reduced lung function. Vitamin D was shown to lower growth rate of proliferation cells; via ScienceDaily.

• Another study in Diabetes Care reveals sleep apnea is going largely undiagnosed among obese people with type-2 diabetes. Of the 306 obese patients with type-2 diabetes studied, almost 87% of individuals reported symptoms but received no diagnosis. The scary part is 30% of people had 16 to 20 episodes of stopped breathing per hour of sleep; from EurekAlert!

• Back to the annual meeting, experts determined flu shots are not effective at preventing flu-related hospitalizations in kids with asthma. Researchers examined 263 children from six months to 18 years of age. Each had influenza between 1996 and 2006. Data revealed kids getting the flu shot were three times more likely to be hospitalized than kids not getting the shot; via NewsWise.

• One more from Diabetes Care, a new report suggests girls with poorly manage type-2 diabetes have a higher risk of cardiac abnormalities, than healthy kids with type-1 diabetes. Testing showed certain heart dimensions were larger in type-2 diabetics. And only 1 of the 8 girls studied with type-2 diabetes had no cardiac abnormalities; Reuters investigates.

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New findings in the journal PLoS Medicine claim moms who take folic acid supplements for one year prior to getting pregnant are 50% less likely to have a premature baby. Experts analyzed self-reporting of folate supplementation by 38,033 mothers and found premature delivery rates were cut up 70%. The drop was most profound for resulting in cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease and blindness. Here are Dr. Fuhrman’s thoughts on the study:

The need for folate is reflective of the inadequacy of the Americans dietary practices. The medical profession and everyone else it seems translate all these findings into the need to take a pill, instead of the lack of green vegetables in the diet.

Taking a pill is permission to eat the same crummy diet that causes child to get cancer, as well as moms. If instead, we stated the truth that a low-folate diet is dangerous and you must eat your greens every day. Then we would really see childhood cancers plummet.

Via EurekAlert!

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Expectant mothers need more sun. Presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting, scientists recommend women of childbearing age spend more time in the sun in order to get sufficient vitamin D. Researchers found over one-third of mothers and 58% of their infants have vitamin D deficiency at birth. Blood samples from 433 women and 376 newborns, within 72 hours of birth, revealed low vitamin D was present in 36% of mothers, with deficiency was considered severe in roughly two-thirds of cases; Reuters reports.

The sun is important to our health. We convert ultraviolet rays into vitamin D, which tells our bodies to absorb calcium and phosphorus. Other studies show mom’s getting enough sun exposure strengths their children’s bones. Now, Dr. Fuhrman sells a vitamin D supplement, in vegan and non-vegan formulations.

In related news, insufficient vitamin D has been linked sudden cardiac death, such as heart failure and cardiac muscle performance, and rickets in young children.

UPDATE: Dr. Fuhrman had some thoughts on this report:

Mothers should be taking Vitamin D supplements and document the adequacy of their Vitamin D with a blood test and also babies and mom’s in northern climates, not getting sufficient sunshine, should use a baby Vitamin D supplement or they can twist open half a capsule of my OsteoSun and sprinkle some of the tasteless white powder into the babies food, water or breast milk.

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Published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, experts believe the more time pregnant mothers spend in the sunlight the more it improves bone growth in their offspring. Researchers studied 7,000 ten-year olds and found kids whose mothers spent time outside during sunny months tended to have stronger bones, attributing this to increased uptake of vitamin D derived from the sun’s ultraviolet rays; via Reuters.

Vitamin D is important, yet often overlooked. Lately, insufficient vitamin D has been linked to higher risk of multiple sclerosis, more c-sections and stunted growth. But good levels of vitamin D can make girls bigger and stronger and for men, lower the risk of prostate cancer.

In related news, scientists now recommend people quadruple their vitamin D levels in the winter. Now, Dr. Fuhrman’s Osteo–Sun supplement will help keep your vitamin D in check.

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