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Low hormone levels in pregnancy linked to hard birth

  • August 14, 2010 7:13 pm

Expectant mums who are low in a hormone made by the thyroid gland in the neck are more likely to struggle in labour, findings suggest. Too little of the hormone thyroxine is already known to complicate pregnancy, increasing the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and pre-eclampsia.

Now a Dutch team has found even “low to normal” levels of thyroxine may cause problems, Clinical Endocrinology says. Babies were more often positioned wrongly, making labour more difficult. Although still head down, the babies tended to face the wrong way – towards their mother’s back rather than stomach.

Not only are these labours generally longer and harder, they are also more likely to end in an assisted delivery with forceps, ventouse or a Caesarean. It does highlight the importance of checking thyroid hormone levels in pregnancy.

The researchers from the University of Tilburg believe the hormone problem is so common – affecting about one in 10 pregnancies – a blood test for it should become a routine part of the antenatal check. In their study of nearly 1,000 apparently healthy mums-to-be, lower levels of thyroxine at 36 weeks of pregnancy was strongly linked to abnormal positioning of the baby’s head and risk of assisted delivery.

Professor Victor Pop and his team believe the relative lack of hormone might stop the unborn child moving as well as it should. This means that instead of getting into the optimal position for labour, the baby is stuck in a more awkward one.

The thyroid gland in the neck makes hormones that regulate metabolism. Too much of these hormones speeds up metabolism causing symptoms like weight loss and anxiety. Too few of the hormones slows metabolism causing problems like fatigue and weight gain. Medication can correct the imbalance

Professor Pop said: “Recent findings have shown that motor development in children at the age of two is related to low levels of thyroid hormone in pregnancy.
“It follows that impaired maternal thyroid function could also influence foetal movement.” The baby is unable to make its own thyroid hormones until 20 weeks into the pregnancy. Before this, it is entirely reliant on its mother’s stores, he said.

Professor Pop said more work was needed to explain the link found and to see if giving pregnant women extra thyroxine, even if they do not have full-blown thyroid disease, would be beneficial. Professor John Lazarus, an expert in endocrinology at Cardiff University School of Medicine, said the link found was not necessarily causal. “However it does highlight the importance of checking thyroid hormone levels in pregnancy.”

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Child fitness levels ‘declining even in affluent areas’

  • August 14, 2010 6:56 pm

Sedentary lifestyles are making children less fit – even among those who are not obese, a study suggests. Essex University staged fitness tests on 600 10-year-olds a decade apart in an area with low levels of obesity.

They found significant falls in fitness levels, concluding the average 10-year-old in 1998 could beat 95% of youngsters in 2008 in running tests. The researchers said the focus on obesity was obscuring the health risks of wider declines in fitness levels. Children are routinely weighed and measured in schools in England as part of the government’s drive to tackle rising obesity rates, but there is no equivalent for fitness.

The measurement of obesity alone may not be sufficient to keep an eye on children’s future health. The Essex team of sports experts chose to focus on Chelmsford, an affluent town with traditionally low levels of obesity, to illustrate how being a normal weight did not necessarily equate to having good fitness. In 1998, they carried out 20m shuttle run tests – commonly known as the bleep test – on 303 children from six schools. In 2008, the tests were repeated on a similar number of 10-year-olds, the Archives of Disease in Childhood reported.

While obesity levels had hardly changed, there was a significant shift in fitness which was “large and worrying”. Researchers said similar if not worse findings would be expected in areas with high levels of obesity.

Lead researcher Dr Gavin Sandercock said: “The measurement of obesity alone may not be sufficient to keep an eye on children’s future health. We need some form of monitoring of fitness. “We have a generation of children who are spending more and more time in front of a screen, whether it is a TV or a computer.

“Schools are now trying to do more, but it is the lack of unstructured activity outside that is the problem.” Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: “We have been concerned about the sedentary lifestyles of children for some time.The focus on obesity is right at the moment because it is more directly linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.”

A Department of Health spokesman said promoting physical activity remained a “top priority” and a key part of the obesity drive. She added Change4Life, the government’s campaign to promote healthy lifestyles, had “kick-started a lifestyle” revolution since it was launched in January.

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Misleading food labels

  • August 13, 2010 1:24 pm

Nine out of 10 mothers questioned in a British Heart Foundation (BHF) survey misunderstood the nutrition information on children’s foods. The study found that mothers believe claims such as “a source of calcium, iron and six vitamins” mean a product is likely to be healthy.

It is thought that a “mish mash” of different food labelling styles is fuelling confusion among shoppers, it added. However, manufacturers insisted their nutritional labelling was clear. The research was carried out on 1454 parents aged between 16-64 years old with kids aged 15 or under through an online survey. It found that 76% of mothers questioned believed that “wholegrain” means the product is likely to be healthy.

However, the BHF said that – for example – Nestle’s Honey Shreddies, which claim to be wholegrain and to “keep your heart healthy and maintain a healthy body”, contain more sugar [13.6g] than a ring doughnut [9.2g] in an average serving. Kellogg’s Coco Pops cereal and milk bars are labelled as “a source of calcium, iron and six vitamins” and 63% of mothers in the survey thought they were healthy. The BHF said that for every 100g they were higher in saturated fat and sugar than the average chocolate cake.

The Natural Confectionery Company Jelly Snakes which are made by Cadbury’s contain more calories gram for gram than black treacle, the BHF said. Almost three in five respondents believed that the phrase “no artificial flavourings, no artificial colourings” indicated a healthy treat. The questionnaire found that 84% of them wanted a single, front-of-pack food labelling scheme.

Peter Hollins, BHF chief executive, said: “Mums are having the wool pulled over their eyes by food manufacturers. “Smoke and mirror tactics means that foods targeted at children and high in fat, salt and sugar are being disguised with partial health claims suggesting they are a healthy choice. “Regularly eating these types of foods could have serious implications for kids’ future health.” A single unified labelling system for food is needed because it the “mish mash” of the different systems serves only to confuse shoppers, he added. “It’s time for food companies to stop making excuses, support one system and ensure shoppers are given ‘at a glance’ information about the foods they’re giving their kids.”

A spokesman for the Natural Confectionery Company said: “All we claim is that the sweets contain no artificial colours and flavours – which is true – so we’re not sure why this should confuse anybody. “All nutritional information is clearly labelled on the bag.”
And a spokesman for Kellogg’s responded: “A Kellogg’s Coco Pops Cereal and Milk bar actually contains less than two teaspoons of sugar per bar and has half the calories (84) and far less fat than a chocolate bar. “Parents understand this because we give them the information they need, through our front-of-pack labelling, to make similar comparisons.”

Julian Hunt, of the Food and Drink Federation, has complained that the BHF did not share its research with them: “The truth is that the food industry takes its responsibilities seriously. That’s why our members are leading the world when it comes to ensuring that food recipes meet the demands of mums and their families – whether that’s through the use of natural ingredients; reducing the amount of salt, fat or sugar used; or fortifying products with nutritionally-vital vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients. The nutrition claims identified by BHF are not ‘partial health claims’ – they are approved under the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, which is setting a strict legal framework for all claims on food packs. “To claim otherwise is being completely disingenuous – or shows that the BHF is deliberately trying to mislead both mums and journalists at what is a very busy time for all of us.”

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