Omega-3-Rich Fish Intake During Pregnancy May Boost Birth Weight for Babies: European Data

As people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity have poor absorption of fats, it is important to make up to difference by increasing the amounts of fats in the diet. Including the best source of omega 3's, fish. And if an expectant mother is undiagnosed and untreated, she is more likely to experience recurring miscarriages, premature births and low birth weights. And a gluten free diet reverses the higher risk to normal, but I aim for an even lower rate of risk.

Here is a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that shows that eating fish at least one serving a week helped to reduce the risk of preterm birth by between 11%-13%. And eating fish three times a week allowed the baby to have a small but significant increase in birth weight, according to data from 19 European birth cohort studies. 

Preterm birth is a public health issue. If you want to know more about this subject link here. This report also mentions the benefits of omega 3's.

It is especially important to follow this advice if you are celiac or gluten sensitive and pregnant or planning to get pregnant. This advice helps to reduce the risk of premature birth and to reduce the risk of "intrauterine growth retardation" (a condition where the baby being born at term, but the baby has a low weight). Low weight at full term is much more dangerous to the future health of the baby than being born at a low weight when premature.

It is prudent to do whatever it takes to avoid having a baby with either low weight at term or pre-maturity. Start with a completely clean diet without grains, gluten, oats, or sugar. No cheating.

And look for the list of safe fish to eat from your countries health recommendations,but you can see Canada's recommendations here.

To Your Health

Dr. Barbara

CLEARING CONTROVERSY ON SATURATED FAT, CHOLESTEROL & HEART HEALTH

Around 2009, I could only watch the first 45 minutes of the movie Oiling of America, by Dr. Mary Enig, presented by Sally Fallon- Morell, because of severe physical symptoms of betrayal. By then I had been in practice 32 years and had done a low fat diet most of my life, suffering its consequences. For the last ten years or so, I now get as much saturated fat as I can get. And I feel the most well in decades.

The truth is we need saturated fats to thrive. The movie is 2 hours and the information is vital.

Over at Jules' Fuel, there is a well written summary of the story of fats. Part 1: The Skinny on Fat Phobia, is here. Many of you will recognize yourself in this narrative. 

This is an excerpt from Part 2.

Assuming Ancel Keys’ research and the government food recommendations are right, a decrease in butter consumption would equate to a decrease in heart disease, right?

Similarly, an increase in government recommended vegetable oil consumption would equate to a decrease in heart disease.

Let’s see how the facts pan out.

1900: Heart disease rare
Butter Consumption: 18 lbs./person/yr
Vegetable Oil Consumption: 11 lbs./person/yr

2012: Heart disease leading cause of death
Butter Consumption: 4 lbs./person/yr
Vegetable Oil Consumption: 59 lbs./person/yr

And heart disease?



Though death resulting from a heart attack has decreased, thanks to medical advancements, it appears that decreasing butter consumption and increasing vegetable oil consumption has resulted in a resounding FAIL for heart disease prevention.

This makes sense, since we learned of the importance of a low Omega-6: Omega-3 fatty acid ratio in Part 1, and how vegetable oils high in Omega-6 fatty acids can contribute to systemic inflammation.

There is an interesting comment on Jules' Fuel, from a lady who discovered the importance of eating saturated fats when she was researching the cures for infertility. Yes, low fat intake leads to increased risk of infertility.

Enjoy your eggs and butter and coconut oil in abundance, and avoid trans fats and oxidized cholesterol in processed fats. It will lower your cholesterol levels and help you thrive.

To Your Health

Dr. Barbara

Gluten and Health with Dr Tom O'Bryan. Video Interview Not to be Missed

Dr. Tom O'Bryan

From theDr.com on Facebook, Ben Coomber of Gut Health interviews Dr. Tom O'Bryan DC Podcast 72  where he goes into gut health and his personal story of his discovery of the importance of gluten sensitivity.

Very moving. And if you have trouble understanding the diverse manifestations of gluten sensitivity, here is more evidence that the whole body is influenced.

To Your Health

Dr. B

12 Part GAPS Diet Course by Melanie Starts Soon.

I do recommend  the version of the specific carbohydrate diet designed by Dr. Natasha Campbell- McBride, called Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet and protocol. So many people have said to me how they would like a GAPS course. 

If you are one of those people who would like to know more about how to do a GAPS diet and protocol or you want to fine tune or expand your expertise in GAPS, there is an online course,  for less than $20.00 a part, that may interest you. Plus you will get a free 30 day PREP GUIDE for GAPS.

Here is the link.
To Your Health
Dr. Barbara

Dr. Bill Davis On Autoimmunity and Wheat! Evidence Wheat Affects All, Even Those Not Gluten Sensitive!

Here is a great article on autoimmunity disorders and wheat by Dr. Bill Davis!

First consumed in desperation 10,000 years ago, after not consuming grains for the preceding 2.5 million years, then altered by the efforts of geneticists and agribusiness, increased wheat consumption accounts for the increasing landscape of multiple autoimmune conditions, especially type 1 diabetes in children (and, now, adults), Hashimoto’s, and inflammatory bowel diseases.

So what is it about modern wheat that can cause such misguided immune responses? There are several reasons:

Increased intestinal permeability–Dr. Alessio Fasano and his team, working at the University of Maryland (now at Harvard) have worked out the complex path by which gliadin, when remaining intact, opens the “tight junction” barriers between intestinal cells, allowing foreign substances entry into the bloodstream and thereby organs. Among the substances that can enter: intact gliadin, gliadin-derived peptides, wheat germ agglutinin (a large and highly inflammatory protein), lipopolysaccharide from bacterial cell walls, and others.

Gliadin peptide toxicity–While some gliadin remains intact, some also gets degraded to peptides. Some of these peptides can enter the bloodstream to exert opiate effects on the brain, while other fractions are toxic to the intestinal lining.

Wheat germ agglutinin–Humans cannot digest the roots, stalk, leaves, or husk of wheat because it is a grass. For that reason, humans only consume the flour ground from the seed of wheat. We can only efficiently digest the amylopectin and amylose of the seed endosperm, the carbohydrates. Wheat germ agglutinin of the seed, a component of all wheat flour, is an example of another indigestible component of this grass. This large 4-part structure is highly toxic to the intestinal lining, causing complete denuding of the villi in experimental models. If it gains entry to the bloodstream, it is a potent activator of the immune system.

Molecular mimicry–As if this wasn't already strange enough, there are amino acid sequences in the gliadin protein of wheat (and thereby the secalin of rye, the hordein of barley, perhaps the zein of corn) that look just like sequences in some human proteins. To date, human proteins that resemble gliadin include transglutaminase (in muscle, liver, many other tissues), synapsin (in nervous tissue), and calreticulin (ubiquitous). The gliadin sequence activates an immune response, which can then launch an attack on the organs containing these cross-reacting proteins.

Dysbiosis–Wheat changes bowel flora, not uncommonly causing dysbiosis, or changes in bowel flora characterized by decreases in healthy species, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, and increases in pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli and Clostridium difficile. Dysbiosis increases intestinal permeability, especially to the lipopolysaccharide component of bacterial cell walls, a powerful activator of inflammation.

Note that NONE of these phenomena leading to autoimmunity require the presence of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. The abnormal intestinal permeability induced by gliadin, for instance, develops in 80-90% of people; the toxic effects of wheat germ agglutinin affect everybody.

Read the whole article here.

To Your Health

Dr. Barbara