Biomedical subjects

A Wynn

Publications and source records attributed to A Wynn.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1988

Magnesium and other nutrient deficiencies as possible causes of hypertension and low birthweight.

7.2 per cent of babies born in England and Wales in 1986 had birthweights below 2,500 g. Low birthweight and hypertension are associated. European trials have reported that oral supplementation with physiological amounts of magnesium during pregnancy reduces pregnancy hypertension and also miscarriage, preterm birth and fetal growth retardation. Magnesium deficiency causes hypertension and low birthweight in animals. In humans deficiency of thiamin and other B vitamins has also been reported to cause pregnancy hypertension and low birthweight. Magnesium and B vitamins are essential for the same biochemical reactions in energy metabolism. There is evidence that magnesium consumption of substantial numbers of women in Europe and North America is too low to support a healthy pregnancy. Magnesium and thiamin are lost in processing many foods. British trials of magnesium supplementation are advocated. It is suggested that more attention should be given to magnesium in nutritional advice.

Female↗

PubMed1987

Inequalities in nutrition.

Inequalities in nutrition are associated with inequalities in health. Many surveys, mainly American, show that there are large variations between individuals in the quality and quantity of food consumed. Variations depend upon up-bringing, education, income and availability of food. In the United Kingdom there is a steep social-class gradient in age-specific death-rates for heart disease and other diseases including cancer. Of all the many possible nutritional factors the strongest inverse correlates with death-rates within the United Kingdom and in other developed countries are the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit. Among the individual nutrients a low consumption of vitamin A, or its precursor carotene is associated with an increased cancer risk. Whole milk is a major source of vitamin A and carotene in the British diet and is also reported to be protective against osteoporosis and some forms of hypertension including preeclampsia. School meals can set a pattern of life-long eating habits.

Dietary Fats↗

PubMed1987

Nutrition before conception and the outcome of pregnancy.

Close birth spacing increases the risk of miscarriage, congenital malformation and perinatal death because it does not give a mother time to recover from the nutritional depletion caused by the first pregnancy or time to recover a normal hormonal profile before the beginning of the next pregnancy. The placental vitamin pump causes maternal vitamin depletion. Nutritional deficits do more damage to reproduction around the time of conception than later during pregnancy. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause not only direct damage to embryonic development but damage to both male and female germ cells resulting in new mutations before a conception. New mutations can cause pregnancy failure or maldevelopment of the embryo. The realisation that nutritional deficits can be mutagenic opened a new chapter in nutritional science. Some nutrients are antimutagenic and already act as such within the digestive tract, but foods contain many other antimutagenic substances. The juices of many fresh vegetables in particular are antimutagenic.

Birth Intervals↗

PubMed1984