(Press-News.org)
Babies and children need vitamins, including vitamin B-12, to help their brains and bodies develop and grow. Babies get B-12 from their mothers and can have low levels of B-12 if their mothers had low vitamin levels during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The vitamin B-12 levels of infants strongly depend on maternal levels. Adequacy of vitamin B-12 in breast milk is particularly important for infants during the first six months of life when breastfeeding is highly recommended. Even after the first six months of life, breast milk may continue to be a critical source of vitamin B-12 for infants.
Pregnant and lactating women are at exceptionally high risk for vitamin B-12 deficiency due to the increased nutritional demands as they provide the micronutrient for themselves and their babies. Many people receive the necessary B-12 the body needs from animal-source foods. However, in countries with low intake of animal-source diets, mother’s and infant’s deficiency in vitamin B-12 is a serious public health challenge.
In resource-limited settings where maternal undernutrition is pervasive, researchers sought to understand the optimal timing and dosage of B-12 supplements during pregnancy and lactation.
A new study led by Mason Assistant Professor in the College of Public Health Dongqing Wang found that pregnant women who took high doses of oral vitamin B-12 supplements prior to delivery experienced short-term benefits on the levels of B-12 in their breast milk. However, women who took high doses of vitamin B-12 supplements during lactation experienced these benefits for a longer period of time.
“Understanding the impacts of prenatal and postnatal vitamin B-12 supplements on the level of B-12 in breast milk is crucial to design effective nutritional interventions to protect mothers and infants from vitamin B-12 deficiencies,” said Wang, who was the principal investigator. "Our findings underscore the importance of prenatal vitamins for short-term benefits in breast milk and postnatal vitamins for more sustained impacts on B-12 adequacy in breast milk; both prenatal and postnatal supplements support healthy growth and development in the baby."
The study also found that the effect of the prenatal vitamin B-12 supplement diminished when used together with the postnatal supplement. Likewise, the effect of the postnatal vitamin B-12 supplement diminished when used together with the prenatal supplement.
“It appears that there was a certain plateau in the effect when prenatal and postnatal supplements were used together,” said Wang. “The plateau could mean that either prenatal or postnatal vitamins could correct maternal vitamin B-12 deficiency, but the plateau does not preclude the need for combined prenatal and postnatal supplements through pregnancy and breastfeeding to sustain maternal B-12 levels in populations with high levels of dietary inadequacy.”
The research was primarily funded by an Early Career Award from the Thrasher Research Fund.
The effects of prenatal and postnatal high-dose vitamin B-12 supplementation on human milk vitamin B-12: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Tanzania was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in November 2023. Other authors included Setareh Shahab-Ferdows and Lindsay H Allen from the United States Department of Agriculture; Omar Lweno from the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania; Daniela Hampel from the University of California, Davis; Balama Method and Said Aboud from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania; Cara Yelverton and Wafaie Fawzi from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Mason epidemiology MPH student Christine H Nguyen, who supported the literature review.
END
Study explores how pre- and postnatal B-12 vitamins improve breast milk vitamin B-12 levels, which supports infant brain development
B-12 vitamins increase the presence of the micronutrient in mothers’ breast milk
2023-12-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Botany must feature more prominently on the school curriculum to promote awareness of climate change, study warns
2023-12-01
Children must be taught more about the importance of plants if education about climate change and sustainability is to be effective, experts have warned.
Botany should feature more heavily in the school curriculum, and be a greater focus of educational policy, the study says.
It warns neither the importance of plants for sustainability or the threats facing many of them are adequately represented in science education. While the problem has been identified for some time, attempts to address it have often struggled to gain a foothold in science education practice.
Dr Bethan Stagg from the University of Exeter and Professor Justin Dillon ...
ADA Forsyth scientists work to bring tissue regeneration to replace root canal treatment
2023-12-01
Cambridge, MA - Want to avoid a root canal? In the future, you might be able to opt for tissue regeneration instead. ADA Forsyth scientists are testing a novel technology to treat endodontic diseases (diseases of the soft tissue or pulp in your teeth) more effectively. The study, “RvE1 Promotes Axin2+Cell Regeneration and Reduces Bacterial Invasion,” which appeared in The Journal of Dental Research, demonstrates regenerative properties of resolvins, specifically Resolvin E1 (RvE1), when applied to dental pulp. Resolvins ...
University of Houston challenges students to solve plastic waste crisis
2023-12-01
Plastics are firmly entrenched in today’s world thanks to their cheap, light and versatile nature, but the downside is that plastic waste continues piling up. Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that every day, the equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastics is dumped into our oceans, rivers and lakes.
According to the World Economic Forum, the United States only recycled about 6% of the 40 million tons of plastic waste it generated in 2021. Around the world, about 400 million tons of plastic waste is produced each year. Much of it ends up in landfills, oceans and natural ...
Auburn University invites aspiring physicists to PhD program information meeting
2023-12-01
Auburn University's Department of Physics is hosting a special meeting targeting college students passionate about pursuing a PhD in Physics. This engaging event is set for December 8 at 2 PM Central Time. Interested individuals can join the session virtually via Zoom at https://aub.ie/faKH5W.
Studying Physics at Auburn University is an immersive journey into the universe's fundamental principles. Our PhD program offers a robust foundation in physics and promotes groundbreaking research and discovery. Known for small class sizes and personalized ...
Social media influencers may affect more than voter opinions
2023-12-01
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — If Thanksgiving dinner conversations have turned into heated political arguments over the past two decades, social media may be to blame. Popular social media figures — or influencers — who create or share distorted political messages may cause political parties to moderate their policies to win over independent voters in general elections but tend to polarize the rest of society, according to researchers who created a model to study how social media may affect election ...
1 in 8 older adults use cannabis products, suggesting need to screen for risks
2023-12-01
More older Americans use cannabis now than before the pandemic, with 12% saying they’ve consumed a THC-containing substance in the past year and 4% saying they do so multiple times a week, according to a new study of people aged 50 to 80. Those who drink alcohol at risky levels have a much higher rate of cannabis use.
The new findings, published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoids Research by a team from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, suggest a need for more education and screening of older adults for cannabis-related ...
Study identifies peptide as key mediator in heavy alcohol drinking
2023-12-01
(Boston)—Alcohol is the most common addictive substance in the world. Every year in the U.S. excessive alcohol use costs $249 billion and causes approximately 88,000 deaths, as well as various chronic diseases and social issues. Alcohol use disorder, a highly prevalent, chronic, relapsing disorder, affects more than 14 million people in the U.S. alone, in addition to being severely under-treated, with only three modestly effective pharmacological therapies available.
Chronic exposure to alcohol has been shown to produce profound neuroadaptations in specific brain regions, including the recruitment of key stress neurotransmitters, ultimately ...
New understanding of oobleck-like fluids contributes to smart material design
2023-12-01
If you mix cornstarch and water in the right proportions, you get something that seems not-quite-liquid but also not-quite-solid. Oobleck flows and settles like a liquid when untouched, but stiffens when you try to pick it up or stir it with a spoon. The properties of oobleck and other non-Newtonian fluids — including Silly Putty, quicksand, paint, and yogurt — change under stress or pressure and scientists have long struggled to prove exactly why.
Now, researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) have used piezoelectric nanoparticles, which themselves change in response to pressure, to investigate the fundamental physics of non-Newtonian ...
Brainstorming with a bot
2023-12-01
A researcher has just finished writing a scientific paper. She knows her work could benefit from another perspective. Did she overlook something? Or perhaps there's an application of her research she hadn't thought of. A second set of eyes would be great, but even the friendliest of collaborators might not be able to spare the time to read all the required background publications to catch up.
Kevin Yager—leader of the electronic nanomaterials group at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility ...
Hip hop dancing promotes awareness of disability rights and performance equality, study shows
2023-12-01
Hip hop dancing can be used to spread awareness of disability rights and help those with sight problems to participate in performance equally, a new study says.
Breakin’ – which is commonly referred to as breakdancing - is good for mobility and helps promote balance and stability as well as wellbeing.
It also offers an important opportunity for people to slow down and to connect with their inner selves, their feelings, their bodies, and their peers, according to researchers. It has been used to treat symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Nathan Geering, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Combination of mini-camera and AI predicts recurrent heart attack
Study Reveals Details of Overactive Immune System in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
UTSA and UT Health San Antonio complete merger to become The University of Texas at San Antonio
Helicobacter pylori screening after acute myocardial infarction
Solar Orbiter traces superfast electrons back to Sun
GaN-based electron beam technology from Nagoya University startup poised to overcome critical semiconductor manufacturing challenges at KIOXIA
Circle versus rectangle: Finding ‘Earth 2.0’ may be easier using a new telescope shape
Metformin changes blood metal levels in humans
Long-term anticoagulation discontinuation after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation
Fractional flow reserve–guided complete vs culprit-only revascularization in non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease
Participation of women in cardiovascular trials from 2017 to 2023
Semaglutide and tirzepatide in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Changes in biology of internal fat may be the leading cause of heart failure
Transcatheter or surgical treatment of patients with aortic stenosis at low to intermediate risk
Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure
One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons
Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults
Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis
Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine
High-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults
Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region
New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers
CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients
Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock
Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes
High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes
All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?
Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’
Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite
Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy
[Press-News.org] Study explores how pre- and postnatal B-12 vitamins improve breast milk vitamin B-12 levels, which supports infant brain developmentB-12 vitamins increase the presence of the micronutrient in mothers’ breast milk