Attitudes in pregnancy can affect child’s weight gain

Teenagers are less likely to be overweight if their mum or dad had a positive attitude during pregnancy, a new study by the Univeristy of Bristol and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, revealed. Using answers from more than 7000 parents who took part in the Children of the 90s longitudinal study about their personality, mood […]

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Autism is not linked to eating fish in pregnancy

A major study examining the fish-eating habits of pregnant women has found that they are not linked to autism or autistic traits in their children. Scientists at the University of Bristol looked at the assumption that mercury exposure during pregnancy is a major cause of autism using evidence from nearly 4500 women who took part […]

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Why do premature babies have low blood pressure?

Scientists have discovered crucial new information about how a foetus develops which could explain why very premature babies suffer low blood pressure and other health problems. It is well-known that babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy often suffer from dehydration, a drop in blood pressure and even death in some cases. The team found […]

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The 12 Days of NHS Choices Christmas

Christmas is the season of giving and goodwill and NHS Digital has trawled through the analytics of NHS Choices over the past year to bring you the numbers behind what the nation is searching for via this improvised Christmas Carol. On the first day of Christmas NHS Choices gave to me – 525 million reasons […]

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Folic acid in white flour?

The Hippocratic Post - folic acid

We have made headway so that most people know that you need folate (also called folic acid) in your diet, especially if you are planning a baby or already pregnant. Folate, a B vitamin which is vital for the formation of red blood cells as well as other important functions in the body, is found […]

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Don’t ignore iodine

The Hippocratic Post - iodine

Iodine deficiency has long been overlooked as a public health problem, but people need to start taking this issue more seriously. Iodine is a necessary trace mineral which is essential for the formation of thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Symptoms of a deficiency include lethargy and tiredness, difficulty concentrating and unusual weight gain. In the […]

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Fertility apps- don’t get complacent

There are hundreds of fertility apps which claim to help users plan or prevent a pregnancy – these come in all manner of forms and some will be more effective than others. Without independent evaluation, we can’t say for certain which will be effective at achieving this. The Natural Cycles fertility awareness app has just […]

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Following baby noses for clues about asthma

birth

Why do some children develop asthma and others don’t? Scientists at the University of Aberdeen are hoping to be able to answer this question when they follow more than a thousand babies until they’re of school-age to try to find out what factors cause the condition to develop. Previous small-scale experiments carried out in Aberdeen […]

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Information prescriptions for diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem. There are now almost 3.8 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and around one million people who are unaware they have the condition. It’s estimated 90% of these people will have type 2 diabetes. We need to use every resource at our disposal […]

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Acrylamide harmful in pregnancy

The Hippocratic Post - contraception

‘I welcome the current focus on acrylamide, a toxic chemical that is used by industry to create dyes and plastics but also occurs naturally in overcooked starchy food. This week, the Food Standards Agency published a report detailing how many common food products contain excessive amount of this chemical, including cereals, biscuits and crisps. They […]

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