Dr Brett Says: Many Mum's think that they need to 'eat for two' throughout their pregnancy and sometimes even use that as a leave pass to eat lots of high sugar/high carbohyrdrate processed sweats and treats. This new research suggests that may not be the best idea for your baby and that keeping your blood sugars under control during pregnancy can help set up your baby for later in life.

From abc.net.au

PETER CAVE: It's increasingly common in Australia for women to develop diabetes during pregnancy. But the latest science should perhaps prompt expectant mums to get into shape - not just for their own health.

New research from Australia's Garvin Institute has found a clear link between gestational diabetes and fat babies. And scientists have found those same babies are likely to be overweight throughout their childhood and are at risk of developing diabetes themselves.

Emily Bourke reports.

EMILY BOURKE: Gestational diabetes is on the rise in Australia and Anna Dungan is among the 8 to 10 per cent of women who develop diabetes during pregnancy.

ANNA DUNGAN: I had a very healthy weight. I ate healthily. I exercised regularly. I don't have a family history and I don't belong to a high risk ethnic group either. So it was a little bit of a surprise.

Second time around I was expecting it because if you've had it the first time the chances are fairly high.

EMILY BOURKE: The latest research is sobering for expectant mums.

JENNY GUNTON: We found that if your mother has gestational diabetes - we looked at mice - then the offspring become fat, even though they tend to eat less.

EMILY BOURKE: Dr Jenny Gunton from the Garvan Institute led the research.

JENNY GUNTON: The blood sugar level in the mother during pregnancy was the thing that predicted all of the changes we found in the babies.

So the higher the blood sugar level during pregnancy, the fatter the babies. The higher the blood sugar level during pregnancy, the slower the metabolic rate in the offspring.

EMILY BOURKE: Anna Dungan's experience with her first born bears this out.

ANNA DUNGAN: He was a little large throughout my pregnancy. I think he was in the 90th or 95th percentile for weight towards the end. And I was induced two week early. So when I was induced he was born average weight for a full term baby.

EMILY BOURKE: Anna Dungan and her son are on a healthy diet and exercise plan.

But Dr Jenny Gunton says there are significant implications if mothers fail to bring their sugar levels under control.

JENNY GUNTON: Not just for the short term outcomes, not for the next 14 weeks of your pregnancy, but because your baby is going to be at risk of having diabetes and obesity and all of the other problems in the longer term if you aren't able to keep your blood sugar levels as well controlled as possible.

EMILY BOURKE: While the Garvin research was conducted on mice Dr Gunton says the findings put to bed many theories about overweight babies.

JENNY GUNTON: There's been a lot of debate over time about what was the underlying factor, whether it was the circulating fat levels like cholesterol or whether it was the blood sugar or whether it was the mother's weight or all sorts of things.

But in our study it's a really close relationship between the mother's blood sugar levels during pregnancy and all of the bad effects on the babies.

EMILY BOURKE: The risks also apply to women who have type one and two diabetes before pregnancy.

But for expectant mum Anna Dungan it's not all bad news.

ANNA DUNGAN: I don't see being diagnosed with gestational diabetes as a burden. I actually feel grateful that I've had a warning, a wake-up call early on.

You know the sorts of things that I have had to incorporate into my lifestyle to stay healthy are things that are good for ordinary people to follow as well.

PETER CAVE: And that was Anna Dungan ending Emily Bourke's report.

Dr Brett Says: Did you know the flouride in your drinking water and tooth paste may actually be bad for your kids teeth?

From PubMed

J Am Dent Assoc. 2010 Oct;141(10):1190-201.

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Dr Brett Says: A good start. But don't be fooled to thinking it is organic meat. it is hormone free but that doesn't mean they havent used chemicals, herbicides and pesticides in it's production. What you want to look for is organic, free range, grass fed meats.

 From MedIndia

The crusade for things organic is entering the meat area too in Australia. Coles, a prominent supermarket chain, has vowed to pull off beef beefed up by growth hormones. The announcement has sent shockwaves across the meat industry.

Experts predict higher beef prices as more customers demand hormone-free meat, which makes up about half of all beef sold in Australia.

Farmers have been able to use hormone growth promotants (HGPs) to boost muscle growth in cattle since 1979, backed by safety approval from health authorities.

HGPs are a group of veterinary drugs that mimic the hormones that influence cattle growth.

They

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Dr Brett Says: The KFC gift card. The gift you buy for the person you want to die!

From News.com.au

FAST-food giant KFC has sparked outrage from health experts by offering Christmas gift cards worth up to $500 as the nation battles an obesity crisis.

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Dr Brett Says: Nope it's not a joke, this guy is serious. Not only do you get the side effects of the unhealthy burger, fries and soft drink but we'll throw in the side effects of the statins as well! How's the PR spin as well, trying to pass off pharmaceutical medications as 'supplements'. The wonders of the Big Pharma PR  machine will never cease.

From The Independant

Customers of fast food restaurants could be offered a free statin along with the burger, salt and ketchup, to mitigate the meal's damaging effects on the heart, doctors suggest.

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Dr Brett Says: Don't forget though that it is not just about reducing your carbohydrate intake. You need to make sure that the carbs you do eat are healthy carbs and the fats and proteins you replace them with are healthy fats and proteins. What re healthy carbs, fats and proteins? Well, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy meats and eggs.

From the LA Times

The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine released today that found that people on both diets lost about the same amount of weight over two years. However, the low-carb group had an edge in raising HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering diastolic blood pressure

The study looked at 153 people who were randomly assigned to a low-carb diet, and 154 to a low-fat diet. The low-carb group limited carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day for the first 12 weeks, then gradually increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy foods until they reached a desired weight. The low-fat group kept daily calories to 1,200 to 1,500, and fat to 30% of their diet.

Both groups also took part in a two-year behavioral program that focused on how to manage relapses, self-monitoring, and an emphasis on moderate physical activity.

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Dr Brett Says: Don't forget though that it is not just about reducing your carbohydrate intake. You need to make sure that the carbs you do eat are healthy carbs and the fats and proteins you replace them with are healthy fats and proteins. What re healthy carbs, fats and proteins? Well fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy meats and eggs.

From the LA Times

The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine released today that found that people on both diets lost about the same amount of weight over two years. However, the low-carb group had an edge in raising HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering diastolic blood pressure

The study looked at 153 people who were randomly assigned to a low-carb diet, and 154 to a low-fat diet. The low-carb group limited carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day for the first 12 weeks, then gradually increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy foods until they reached a desired weight. The low-fat group kept daily calories to 1,200 to 1,500, and fat to 30% of their diet.

Both groups also took part in a two-year behavioral program that focused on how to manage relapses, self-monitoring, and an emphasis on moderate physical activity.

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Dr Brett Says: Not before time but the real reason to do it is for the health impact not the environmental impact. There is so much research out there now about the effects of the BPA released from plastic water bottles that something needs to be done. There is also already concerns about the BPA free plastics that are on the market. The best bet if you can find it is to get a nice solid glass container with a neoprene coating to protect it.

From ABC news

Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College in Sydney's north has banned the sale of plastic water bottles.

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Dr Brett Says: I am a massive advocate of mothers breast feeding and my practice proudly displays the sticker of the Australian Breast Feeding Association declaring that 'breast feeding is welcome here'. The positive impact it has on your babies health is often not fully understood and our society does not do enough to improve our breast feeding rates. This study though surprises even me. Remember that this study only talks about costs related to 3 specific diseases and in the US alone, imagine if the full cost was tallied!

From pediatrics.aappublications.org

The Burden of Suboptimal Breastfeeding in the United States: A Pediatric Cost Analysis

Melissa Bartick, MD, MSc^a, Arnold Reinhold, MBA^b

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Dr Brett Says: Take note, despite these drinks being packaged as healthy and performance enhancing they are really the exact opposite. There is no doubt that these excessive caffeine and sugar loads are bad for your health.

 From Adelaide Now

THE Federal Government will investigate energy drinks following calls for some of them to be banned.

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