eileen

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1774

How sunshine can help your unborn child

By LAURA CLARK - Last updated at 11:04am on 7th March 2007



Have your say Pregnant women should get out into the sunshine to help protect their unborn baby from diabetes, research has indicated.


Vitamin D - which the body makes from sunlight - can cut the risk of the child developing diseases such as diabetes and thyroid problems.
As people in the UK often lack sufficient vitamin D, experts are advising expectant mothers to ensure regular but sensible sun exposure or the right diet.
The vitamin is found in salmon, tuna and other oily fish, and is added to milk. It is also available in supplements.
It has long been known that a lack of the vitamin can lead to weak bones and rickets and recent research showed people with a vitamin D deficiency have a poorer immune system and take longer to recover from infections.
A new study, to be presented to the British Endocrine Society conference in Birmingham today, has found that low levels of the vitamin could be linked to the development of auto-immune disorders such as diabetes and thyroid disease.
Researchers found that when they boosted levels of vitamin D in mice that would normally develop type 1 diabetes, it helped protect them from the condition.
Pregnant women, particularly those living in northern countries such as the UK, often lack the vitamin, due to a combination of low levels of sunshine and the demands of their developing baby.
Dr Chantal Mathieu of the University of Leuven, Belgium, said: 'There is now a lot of work showing-vitamin D deficiency is associated with a poor immune system.
'This makes it difficult to recover from infection, but it also seems to make you more likely to develop autoimmune diseases.
'Pregnant mothers are particularly liable to develop vitamin D deficiency, and so they are at increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases.'
She said there are two key ways for women to ensure they and their babies are getting enough vitamin D.
'You can make sure that you get an adequate amount of sunshine - bearing in mind that this has to be done sensibly, because too much sunshine can cause problems such as skin cancer,' she said. 'Or it might be easier simply to take vitamin supplements during pregnancy.'
Last year, scientists at King's College London found that vitamin D could help asthma sufferers who do not respond to normal treatment. It improved their responsiveness to their steroid medication.
Scientists have also found that women with advanced breast cancer have lower levels of vitamin D than those in the early stages. The team from Imperial College, London, concluded that the vitamin may improve resistance to the disease. They now plan to see if supplements can help women fight cancer.

Marca

Super!

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Marca

Too bad about the suggestion of supplements though

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eileen

I know :( the derms are fast approaching their pill instead of the natural way.
http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archiv.../06/c6834.html