Sunday, May 20, 2007

Vitamin B linked to improved fertility

Research has found the eating foods rich in vitamin B6 can more than doulbe the chances of becoming pregnant.

Women who have plenty of B6 in their diet are half as likely to miscarry in early pregnancy.

It is though that B6 levels found in high levels in foods such as

yellow fin tuna
turkey breast
salmon
beef tenderloin
kidney beans
sunflower seeds
brown rice
cauliflower
beans
peas
and more...

US researchers looked at how levels of B6 affected the reproductive health of more than 300 young chinese women trying to have a baby. Scientists measured levels of vitamins in the women's blood and checked hormone levels daily for a year.

Those with the highest B6 levels were 2.2 times more likely to conceived than those with the lowest levels.

The women were also half as likely to miscarry in the first six weeks of pregnancy. This was reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Stacey's comment,

Keep in mind that if you are feeling very tired, experiencing anemia, have low moods frequently and having difficulty conceiving increasing your B6 level intake through the foods mentioned above may help to improve the levels in the system. The health of your stomach and digestive system is extremely important in order for these nutrients to be absorbed.

So if you are taking any over the counter medication, any prescribed medications, drinking alcohol, smoking, utilising any recreational drugs, or under a lot of stress, its important to also work to improve your digestion. Make sure you talk to your naturopath about the use of digestive enzymes or probiotics to help ensure the the absorption of nutrients including supplements that contain B6.

Not all supplements are created equal so if you are taking supplements then make sure they are pharmaceutical grade, i.e. there is a guarantee that they have been tested to ensure absorption and Good Manufacturing Practices. Otherwise there is no way of knowing whether the quality is good enough and whether the supplement is actually getting absorbed by the body.