Taking probiotics during pregnancy 'can reduce obesity in mothers'

Women who take probiotics during their first trimester of pregnancy may be less likely to suffer from the most unhealthy form of obesity after giving birth, according to research.

Probiotics are bacteria that help to maintain a bacterial balance in the digestive tract by reducing the growth of harmful bacteria. They are part of the normal digestive system and play a role in controlling inflammation.

Kirsi Laitinen, a nutritionist and senior lecturer at the University of Turku, said that the results of the study, presented today at the European Congress on Obesity, were an encouraging sign of the impact of a diet supplemented with probiotics on adiposity. Adiposity, or central obesity, is a particularly unhealthy form of obesity associated with fat bellies.

“The women who got the probiotics fared best,” she said. “One year after childbirth, they had the lowest levels of central obesity as well as the lowest body fat percentage.

“We found [adiposity] in 25 per cent of the women who had received the probiotics along with dietary counselling, compared with 43 per cent of the women who received diet advice alone.”

In the study, 256 women were randomly divided into three groups during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Two of the groups received dietary counselling consistent with what is recommended during pregnancy for healthy weight gain and optimal foetal development. They were also given food such as spreads and salad dressings with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as fibre-enriched pasta and breakfast cereal to take home.

One of those groups also received daily capsules of probiotics containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are the most commonly used probiotics. The other group received dummy capsules.

A third group received dummy capsules and no dietary counselling. The capsules were continued until the women stopped exclusive breastfeeding, after up to six months.

The researchers weighed the women at the start of the study. At the end of the study they weighed them again and measured their waist circumference and skin fold thickness.

Central obesity — defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more or a waist circumference over 80 centimetres — was found in 25 per cent of the women who had been given the probiotics as well as diet advice.

That compared with 43 per cent of the women who got dietary counselling alone and 40 per cent of the women who got neither diet advice nor probiotics.

One of the limitations of the study was that it did not take into account the mothers’ weight before pregnancy, which may influence how fat they later become.

Laitinen said that she and her colleagues would continue to follow the women and their babies to see whether giving probiotics during pregnancy had any influence on the health of the women’s children.

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Pregnancy tips from Kelly Rutherford

With just a month to go until she delivers her second child — a baby girl whose name is being kept under wraps until her debut — Kelly Rutherford is placing the finishing touches on her daughter’s nursery.

With the worries of a nursery checked off her list, Kelly — who once feared she was having twins after getting “big really fast” — has instead been focusing her time getting her 2 ½-year-old son Hermés Gustaf Daniel used to the idea of big brotherhood.

One lesson that seems to have gone over well for the toddler? The mystery of breast pumps! “The other day we were at The Pump Station [and] he wanted to figure out how the breast pump was working, of course the mechanics of it, [and I said], ‘This is for milk,’ and then I try to explain that you can help me give the bottle and Mommy can pump and it’s hysterical,” Kelly laughs.

Since becoming a mom, the Gossip Girl actress is an open book of information! With her favorite products including Aquaphor — a cream that does it all from dealing with “diaper rash or any kind of” irritated skin to keeping “your skin nice” — and Seventh Generation diapers — a product she “could not live without” — Kelly has even acquired a few tricks to deal with the struggles of pregnancy. Suffering from leg cramps? Eat a few bananas and drink some coconut milk, says Kelly! “I buy the whole coconut at Whole Foods and put a straw in it and just drink the milk,” she shares. “I have one almost every night before I go to bed.”

Despite her new found knowledge of everything baby, Kelly admits that her greatest piece of advice came from none other than her own mother. “My mom was very open with us and treated us when we were kids with so much respect for what we had to say and listened to us,” she says. ”I think especially when they are little to take the time … to listen and explain I think they don’t go through so many dramas in the terrible twos or the teens.” Believing that the majority of outbursts from children are a result of pent-up frustration from being denied the opportunity to express their independence, Kelly has made it her priority to be present for her son.

“I didn’t just let my son cry. If he was in the stroller and didn’t want to be in the stroller, I carried him. If he cried, I picked him up. I didn’t do that whole let him cry thing.”

Hermés and baby-on-the-way are Kelly’s kids with estranged husband Daniel Giersch.

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Scientists say they've found a link between long life and late childbirth

A new study of genealogical records from Utah pioneers and settlers of Montreal, Canada, reveals that women who had babies naturally in their 40s and 50s lived longer than other women.

The brothers of those women also lived longer.

Such findings suggest the same genes prolong lifespan and female fertility and lead researchers to believe there is a strong genetic component for longevity in humans, said Ken R. Smith, professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah.

"If you have a female relative who had children after age 45, then there may be some genetic benefit in your family that will enhance your longevity," he said.

Smith is the lead researcher in the study that will be published June 10 in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences. It already can viewed online at the journal's Web site.

Evolutionary biologists long have argued that survival and reproduction are intrinsically linked, Smith said.

"So, the novel finding in this paper is discovering this link in humans before modern contraception."

The team of researchers from the U. of U., University of Western Ontario, and the University of Montreal also considered the wives of the brothers to determine whether the longevity could be attributed to environmental conditions, such as food, shelter and disease. But the wives --- who were not blood relatives --- did not lead longer lives.

That, too, points to a strong genetic component for longevity, Smith said. If environmental factors were as important, the spouses should live as long as their husbands.

The Utah pioneers were largely British and Scandinavian, while the Montreal settlers were French. But the research team found the same trends in those very different populations, revealing the thesis that links late motherhood to longevity is sound, Smith said.

Pioneer women used no contraception and typically had large families. In many cases, they gave birth until they were no longer able. The study considers reproduction in pioneer women as an indicator of overall health, Smith noted.

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Denmark's French-born princess gives birth to son

Denmark's royal palace says French-born Princess Marie has given birth to her first child, a son.

The palace says Prince Joachim was present during the birth early Monday, and that the 33-year-old princess and her son are both doing fine.

It says the baby weighs 6.67 pounds (3 kilograms) and measures 19.6 inches (49 centimeters).

Joachim and Marie married in May 2008. The newborn is the couple's first child, and seventh in line to Denmark's throne.

The 39-year-old Joachim has two sons from a previous marriage with Hong Kong-born Alexandra Manley. The couple divorced in 2005 in the first split in nearly 160 years in Europe's oldest monarchy.

Joachim is Queen Margrethe's youngest son.

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Father delivers baby son at home after watching DIY birth video on YouTube

A father successfully delivered his baby son after watching a do-it-yourself baby birth video clips on YouTube.

The naval engineer, who already has three children with his wife Jo, decided to search the internet as she was feeling some discomfort. Just four hours later, the decision paid off when the couple were told that no midwife was available when Mrs Stephens went into labour.

The technician learned how to play the guitar and complete a Rubik's cube watching Youtube videos, so he decided to check out the video sharing site's childbirth tips.

After he finished looking at the sites at about 10.30pm the couple went to bed, only to wake up at about 2.00am with Jo in labour.

When they phoned the hospital Marc and Jo, who has a history of short labours, were told that there were no midwives available. The couple had planned on a home birth, but were told to get to hospital.

'At this time Jo rushed out of the bathroom and dropped down on all fours. 'I was still on the phone to the midwife when my wife started to give birth. 'When Jo said "you might deliver this one" as a joke, I didn't believe it.'You just don't think it's going to happen. To be honest I didn't have time to panic.'My youngest daughter woke up and was standing right behind me watching the whole thing!'

Remarkably full-time mother Jo, who has had her three other children, Zoe, six, Sophie, five, and two-year-old Jasmine, said it was her easiest birth. She said: 'I was quite relaxed. I wasn't panicking at all. I have to say, out of all my four labours, that was the one I enjoyed the most.'

Praising her husband's calmness throughout the delivery, she added: 'There was no sense of panic in his voice at all. 'It was like it was another day at work for him. Marc is one of those people he can put his hand to anything.

After successfully delivering 5lb 5oz Gabriele on on March 21 the paramedics arrived and congratulated Mr Stephens on a good job.

The American midwife who posted the DIY birthing video on YouTube has said she is delighted it had been successful in helping a successful birth. Laurie Fremgen, of the Austin Midwifery Service, in Austin, Texas, said: 'I think this is really wonderful that the video was able to help this family and I am thrilled that is it being seen around the world.

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