Maxime Salon is a destination spot on the South Shore of MA. And as a five-time Best of Boston hair salon, what's not to love?  I am honored to have been chosen as  Maxime's July "Woman of the Month." 

 

A few weeks ago, Ronit Enos (Twitter: @maximesalon) and Katie Ryan of Maxime came to our offices for a day of chatting about health and beauty and what it takes to be the most healthful you! Take a peek at our fun-filled day.  

 

-Debra

 

PS Have a healthy week!  

There has been a lot of research lately around maternal to child health, specifically the long-term health effects of children born to mothers who eat poorly. A new study from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and The Mother Infant Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center is reporting that babies born to mothers who are obese have low iron levels. Iron plays a crucial role in the formation of the central nervous system and children born with iron deficiency are at a greater risk for delays in motor and cognitive development.

 

The study enrolled 30 pregnant women. Fifteen were classified as obese with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. The other half were women with a BMI in the normal range (between 20 and 25); these women served as controls.

 

To determine iron status the women had blood drawn during the second trimester, and the newborns' status was assessed via blood drawn from the umbilical cord. It was observed that the cord blood of those babies born to mothers who were obese was significantly lower than those born to mothers of a normal weight.

 

The researchers speculate that the low levels of iron in the babies born to obese mothers was due to high circulating levels of hepcidin. Hepcidin is a hormone that helps regulate iron levels. During pregnancy hepcidin levels are usually kept at low levels to optimize iron transfer from mother to fetus. However, obese individuals are known to produce higher levels of hepcidin compared to healthy weight adults and the researchers suggest that overproduction of the hormone interferes with the transfer of iron from mother to infant

 

Bottom Line

This is the first study to postulate that obesity may inhibit healthy iron transfer from mother to child, so more research is needed. The best advice for mothers-to-be is to eat a healthful diet, gain an appropriate amount of weight during pregnancy and take a prenatal vitamin supplement. Most prenatal vitamins contain 27 milligrams of iron, the daily amount currently recommended by The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.