Study provides evidence that higher maternal choline levels during pregnancy reduce harm.
About Pregnancy
Detailed look at Early pregnancy Symptoms and easy health solutions during 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. With an addition of an online pregnancy due date calculator.
Detailed look at Early pregnancy Symptoms and easy health solutions during 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. With an addition of an online pregnancy due date calculator.
‘Eating choline-rich foods or taking choline as a supplement may protect the child from potential harm.’
The study was published today in Psychological Medicine. "In Colorado, it's common for women to use marijuana before they know they're pregnant and some continue to use as a natural remedy for morning sickness, depression and anxiety," said Camille Hoffman, MD, MSCS, associate professor of maternal fetal medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine. "In this study, we found that maternal marijuana use begins to negatively impact the fetal brain at an earlier stage in pregnancy than we expected.”
Fifteen percent of 201 mothers in the study used marijuana both before and beyond 10 weeks gestation. Infants of mothers who continued to use marijuana beyond 10 weeks had decreased cerebral nervous system (brain) inhibition at one month of age. Decreased brain inhibition this early in development can relate to problems in attention and social function.
Marijuana - Types, Uses & Adverse effects
Marijuana (cannabis) is a drug obtained from the hemp plant and often abused for its psychoactive effects, though it has medicinal uses as well.
Marijuana (cannabis) is a drug obtained from the hemp plant and often abused for its psychoactive effects, though it has medicinal uses as well.
In addition, infants exposed to prenatal marijuana beyond 10 weeks gestation had lower "regulation" scores at 3 months of age. This can cause decreased reading readiness at age 4, decreased conscientiousness and organization as well as increased distractibility as far out as age 9. These adverse effects in the infant were not seen if women had higher gestational choline in the early second trimester.
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Choline-rich Foods Improve Long-term Memory
Consuming choline rich foods like eggs, chicken or beef liver, soy, wheat germ can help improve long-term memory and attention-holding capacity, say researchers.
Consuming choline rich foods like eggs, chicken or beef liver, soy, wheat germ can help improve long-term memory and attention-holding capacity, say researchers.
"We already know that prenatal vitamins improve fetal and child development, but currently most prenatal vitamins do not include adequate amounts of the nutrient choline despite the overwhelming evidence of its benefits in protecting a baby's brain health.
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Intake of Choline-rich Diet During Pregnancy Cut Mental Illness Risk in Infants
Intake of choline-rich diets, like eggs and meat, during pregnancy may help reduce infant's risk from stress-related illnesses, hypertension later in life.
Intake of choline-rich diets, like eggs and meat, during pregnancy may help reduce infant's risk from stress-related illnesses, hypertension later in life.
This study is the first to detect central nervous system effects of marijuana in human newborns and it identifies a vulnerable gestational period for the impact of marijuana on fetal brain development that is earlier than anticipated - as early as the end of the first trimester. Usually reporting in studies are retrospective and don't look at the effects of marijuana ingestion at different trimesters.
Marijuana use was assessed during pregnancy from women who later brought their newborns for study. Mothers were informed about choline and other prenatal nutrients and advised to avoid alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drug use. Maternal serum choline was measured at 16 weeks' gestation.
Source-Eurekalert
