Prenatal Omega 3 may aid babies’ brain developmentExpectant mothers who eat enough Omega 3 fats late in pregnancy may give their babies a brain-power boost, says a new report in the Journal of Pediatrics. Researchers from Wayne State University in Detroit found that among 109 infants, those whose umbilical-cord blood was higher in docosahexaenoic acid, an Omega 3 acid, did better in tests of infant brain and eye development at the ages of 6 and 11 months. DHA is one of the major Omega 3 fatty acids found in oily fish like salmon, sardines and tuna. Because of the fat’s vital role in brain development, experts have recommended that pregnant women get an average of 300 milligrams of DHA daily.ZERO TO 20Teens turn a deaf ear to risks of MP3 playersTeenagers seem to know that loud music can damage their hearing, yet most see no reason to lower the volume on their iPods. In focus-group discussions with students at two high schools, researchers from the University Medical Center Rotterdam found that the teens were generally aware that blasting an MP3 player could harm their hearing. Yet most said they usually played their own device at maximum volume and had no plans to change that, the researchers reported in the Journal of Pediatrics.20 TO 40C-sections linked to cervix lengthDoctors who use age, weight and other factors to predict if a pregnant woman will need a Caesarean section to deliver her baby have a new gauge: the length of the cervix. The cervix closes off the uterus, where the baby is growing. Researchers from Cambridge University say their study of more than 27,000 pregnancies found that women with the longest cervixes were more likely to need surgery to deliver their child. The C-section rate was 25.7 per cent for women with a cervix between 40 and 67 millimeters, 21.7 per cent for 36 to 39 millimeters, 18.4 per cent for 31 to 35 millimeters and 16 per cent with a cervical length of 16 to 30 millimeters. An inch is about 25 millimeters.50 AND ABOVEWorseningincontinence not linked to menopauseThe worsening of symptoms of incontinence among middle-aged women is attributable to weight gain, not menopause, according to findings published in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Previous studies have found a higher rate of urinary incontinence in women aged 45 to 55 years, coinciding with the menopause transition, note researchers from the University of California. This increase in incontinence in midlife has been explained, in part, by urinary tract changes associated with the loss of estrogen during menopause. But weight gain was associated with worsening incontinence.
