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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Hispanic babies at greater risk for some birth defects
Special to the Journal
Hispanic babies are one
and a half to two times more
likely to be born with a neu
ral tube defect, a serious
birth defect of the brain or
spine, than other babies
born in the United States.
The reason, according
to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
is that Hispanic women in
the United States consume
very little folic acid and are
unaware of the benefits of
this essential B-vitamin to
their baby’s development.
Neural tube defects affect
an estimated 4,000 pregnan
cies each year.
Research indicates that
consumption of folic acid
before and during early preg
nancy can lower the rate of
some forms of neural tube
birth defects such as spina
bifida and anencephaly, as
much as 50 to 70 percent.
Spina bifida, the most
common neural tube defect,
is the leading cause of child
hood paralysis. Anencephaly,
a type of neural tube defect
Houston Healthcare launches new
service for new and expecting parents
Special to the Journal
Expectant parents are
faced with a bewildering
range of pregnancy and par
enting information—books,
magazines, television and
the well-meaning advice
of friends and family. Now,
patients at The Women’s
Center, Houston Medical
Center’s labor and delivery
unit, have a resource to guide
them through their pregnan
cy and the first year of their
new baby’s life - Houston
Healthcare’s Parent Review,
a weekly parenting e-mail.
This free service offers new
and expecting parents cus
Study: Adults living
with kids eat more fat
By AMY LORENTZEN
Association Press Writer
DES MOINES, lowa
- Adults living with chil
dren tend to eat more fat
than grown-ups in kid-free
homes, consuming as much
additional saturated fat each
week as found in an individ
ual-size pizza, a new study
suggests.
It may not exactly be the
kids’ fault, but household
cupboards are more likely
to be stocked with high-fat
convenience foods like cook
ies, cheese, peanuts and pro
cessed meats when children
are around, the researchers
said.
“These dietary choices
may be due to time pres
sures, advertising aimed at
children that also includes
adults, or adults’ percep
tion that children will eat
only hot dogs or macaro
ni and cheese,” said study
author Dr. Helena Laroche,
who works in internal medi
cine and pediatrics at the
University of lowa College of
Medicine.
“Once these foods are in
the house, even if bought for
the children, adults appear
more likely to eat them,”
she said.
Laroche cautioned that
the report “doesn’t prove
that the presence of children
causes adults to eat more
fat,” but shows that people
living with children may
have different eating habits
for many reasons.
Laroche and University
of Michigan researchers
examined data from the fed
eral government’s National
Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey. The
researchers scoured detailed
food questionnaires given
to 6,600 adults living with
and without children under
age 17. The survey reviewed
what the adults ate over a
24-hour period.
Adults living with children
ate almost 5 more grams
of fat each day, for a total
of more than 91 grams,
compared to 86.5 grams
for adults not living with
children, according to the
that affects brain develop
ment, is always fatal.
The U.S. Public Health
Service recommends that all
women of childbearing age
consume 400 micrograms of
folic acid daily to prevent
having a pregnancy affected
by a neural tube defect.
Though it is possible to
obtain the recommended
dosage of folic acid through
foods, it is difficult because
the human body actually
absorbs the synthetic form
of folic acid better than the
natural form called “folate.”
To help increase daily
consumption, the Food and
Drug Administration now
requires synthetic folic acid
be added to breads, cereals,
flours, pastas, rice and other
grain products.
“Most experts recommend
that women of childbearing
age get at least 400 micro
grams of synthetic folic acid
per day from fortified foods
and/or a daily multi-vitamin
as well as eat a variety of
foods as part of a healthy
tomized information, news
and resources from the par
ent education staff. The e
mail service also provides
brief reviews of the latest
research on pregnancy and
newborn issues in an easy
to-understand format.
New and expectant par
ents can enroll at www.hhc.
org/parents to begin receiv
ing weekly parenting e-mail
messages as early as seven
weeks gestation. Messages
are personalized to the
patient’s due date and con
tinue for the first year of
the baby’s life. During preg
nancy, messages from The
Women’s Center will include
study. That included nearly
2 grams more of saturated
fat daily, the kind linked to
heart disease, or about 12
grams of saturated fat per
week - an amount equal to
a 6-inch, personal size pep
peroni pizza.
1 An adult eating a 2,000-
calorie diet should consume
less than 65 grams of total
fat a day, including less
than 20 grams of saturated
fat, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Tracey Adamowski, a 39-
year-old mother of two from
West Des Moines, knows
about the struggle to eat
healthier foods. She recently
lost 30 pounds on Weight
Watchers, but said trips to
the grocery store usually
revolved around her kids’
tastes.
“You buy cookies and you
buy snack foods and you
buy hot dogs and you buy
canned raviolis and all this,
and now that’s there when
you open the cabinet,” said
Adamowski, who sent her
son off to college last year
and has a 13-year-old daugh
ter at home.
Before adopting healthier
e’ating habits, Adamowski
stocked the cupboards with
those foods, picked at her
kids’ leftovers in restau
rants, cooked easy-to-fix hot
dogs or grabbed fried fast
food for dinner.
“It’s very easy to go
through a drive-thru, espe
cially when that’s the only
way you can eat together as
a family sometimes,” said
Adamowski, who does about
30 hours a week of volunteer
work.
Jam-packed schedules are
a problem for many families,
said Susan Mitchell, a regis
tered dietitian, author and
nutrition expert who hosts
a radio program in Orlando,
Fla.
“Adults pick up foods that
the kids want, so the kids
end up driving the nutri
tion habits of the household
instead of parents,” she said.
“Parents then eat what they
eat, and everyone gets a
fatty diet.”
Common misconceptions about folic acid
Myth: Taking multivitamins increases your appetite and makes you gain weight.
Fact: Taking a multivitamin is part of a healthy diet and does not make you gain weight.
Myth: As long as you have a healthy diet and exercise while you are pregnant, your child will be born healthy.
Fact: Some women do everything right during pregnancy, but due to other things like genetics or environmental
factors, may still have a child with n bit t h delect.
Myth: There is no history of spina bifida in my family, so I don’t have to take folic acid.
Fact: 95 percent of spina bifida cases occur in families without a history.
Myth: Only women over age 35 who plan on becoming pregnant need to take folic acid.
Fact: Every women needs folic add every day.
Myth: I don't plan on getting pregnant any time soon, so I don’t have to take folic add.
Fact: Half of all pregnandes in the United States are not planned, so it’s important to take folic add every day.
Myth: Some people are just destined to have a child with neural tube birth defects.
Fact: Although people with a history of spina bifida may be more likely to have a child with spina bifida, it is impor
tant to do what you can and take folic add every day.
Myth: Foods that have folate, like orange juice, also have folic add. So having a cup of orange juice will give me the
folic acid I need.
Fact: Our bodies actually absorb the synthetic form of folic add found in vitamins more easily than they do foods
with folate. The best day to get the folic acid you need is by taking a vitamin with folic add every day in addition to
eating a healthy diet with foods that, contain folate.
diet*” explains Dr. Leslie G.
Tidwell, 08/GYN and mem
ber of the medical staff of
Houston Medical Center.
“The easiest way to be sure
you get the recommended
daily amount of folic acid
is to take a multi-vitamin
every day.”
In addition to neural tube
week-by-week informa
tion on fetal development,
wellness tips and valuable
resources. After the baby is
born, messages offer child
development information,
practical tips on baby care,
health and safety, and other
topics of special interest to
new parents.
For more information
on Houston Healthcare’s
Parent Review, visit www.
hhc.org.
Houston Healthcare
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HEALTH
defects, new research sug
gests that folic acid can also
help prevent other birth
defects such as cleft lip and
cleft palate. Additionally,
folic acid has been shown
to help reduce cardiovascu
lar disease as well as colon,
cervical and breast cancers
Kinnebrew announces relocation of practice
Special to the Journal
Todd E. Kinnebrew, M.D.,
announces the relocation of
his orthopedic and sports
medicine practice to 301
Margie Drive in Warner
Robins. Kinnebrew is a
board certified orthopedic
surgeon specializing in total
joint replacement, spinal
disorders, and treatment of
major joint injuries of the
hip, knee, elbow, wrist and
shoulder as well as sports
medicine.
He attended medical
in women.
“Almost half of all preg
nancies are unplanned,”
says Tidwell. “That’s why
it’s important to start tak
ing a multivitamin with folic
acid now, even if you’re not
planning a pregnancy.”
She suggests a woman get
school at the University
of South
Florida in
Tampa,
Fla., and
received
his medical
training at
Orlando
Regional
Medical
Center in
Orlando,
i® i
KINNEBREW
Fla. He is a member of the
medical staffs of Houston
FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007 ♦
into the habit of taking a
multivitamin at the same
time she does another daily
activity such as eating break
fast or packing lunches.
“This way you remember
to take your vitamin and you
won’t miss out on the folic
acid you need each day.”
Medical Center and Perry
Hospital.
For more information
or to schedule an appoint
ment, call 478-971-1171.
Great Peals
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