Lack of vitamin C could permanently damage unborn babies' brains

Lack of vitamin C could permanently damage unborn babies' brains

(NaturalNews) Could poor nutrition and, specifically, a lack of vitamin C in pregnant
women be causing permanent damage to the brains of unborn babies? University of Copenhagen scientists have just published some disturbing research conclusions in the scientific journal PLOS ONE suggesting that could be the case.

The
research team, led by Professor Jens Lykkesfeldt, noted that a lack of
vitamin C isn't unusual, either. In fact, population studies reveal
between 10 and 20 percent of all adults in the developed world suffer
from vitamin C deficiency. "Even marginal vitamin C deficiency in the
mother stunts the fetal hippocampus, the important memory center, by 10
to 15 percent, preventing the brain from optimal development,"
Lykkesfeldt said in a statement to the media.

"We used to think
that the mother could protect the baby. Ordinarily there is a selective
transport from mother to fetus of the substances the baby needs during
pregnancy. However, it now appears that the transport is not sufficient
in the case of vitamin C deficiency. Therefore, it is extremely
important to draw attention to this problem, which potentially can have
serious consequences for the children affected."

Lykkesfeldt
and his colleagues reached their conclusions by studying pregnant
guinea pigs and their pups because -- like humans -- guinea pigs cannot
produce vitamin C themselves. When guinea pigs from vitamin C deficient
mothers were born, the researchers divided the newborn animals into two
groups. One group was given vitamin C
supplements but, when the pups were two months old (a point in their
lifespan which corresponds to the teenage years in humans) there was no
improvement in their brain damage.

The scientists are now studying how early in pregnancy vitamin C deficiency
influences the development of fetuses. So far, additional guinea pig
experiments indicate the negative impact of a lack of vitamin C early in
the pregnancy. While their studies involve animals, the scientists
believe their findings have an important bearing on the human population
and should sharpen the focus on a mother's lifestyle and nutritional
status during pregnancy.

"People with low economic status who eat
poorly - and perhaps also smoke - often suffer from vitamin C
deficiency. Comparatively speaking, their children risk being born with a
poorly developed memory potential. These children may encounter
learning problems, and seen in a societal context, history repeats
itself because these children find it more difficult to escape the
environment into which they are born," Lykkesfeldt said.

His
recommendation? Pregnant women should not smoke, eat a varied
nutritional diet and take a multi-vitamin tablet containing vitamin C.
"Because it takes so little to avoid vitamin C deficiency, it is my hope
that both politicians and the authorities will become aware that this
can be a potential problem," Lykkesfeldt concluded.

Editor's note: Natural News
is opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments that expose
them to harm. We present these findings in protest of the way in which
they were acquired.

Source:-
http://www.naturalnews.com/038013_vitamin_C_unborn_babies_brain_development.html