Page 79 - Special Issue: Healthy Baby
P. 79

transports vitamin E across the placenta con-  of the mother and her offspring during labor; eye defects including the
          ceive offspring that die within 11 to 15 days.  complete absence of eyes; defects of the snout, dental arches and lips;
          The nutritional transport system of the placenta  displacement of internal organs including the kidneys, ovaries and testes;
          is observably malformed by the ninth day. The  and deafness due to degeneration of the nervous system. 15
          human placenta makes the same protein, so the     We now know that vitamin A is necessary for the differentiation and
          role of vitamin E in constructing the nutritional  patterning of all of the cells, tissues and organs within the developing
          transport system of the human placenta is prob-  body. It is especially important for the development of the communication
          ably similar. Vitamin E, then—despite the lack  systems between the sense organs and the brain. 16,17  Even mild vitamin A
          of published proof—is almost certainly essential  deficiency compromises the number of functional units called nephrons
          to human reproduction. 11                 in the kidneys, which could predispose a person to poor kidney function
              Vegetable oils are high                                                       later in life.  Vitamin A is
                                                                                                      18
          in vitamin E, but they are                                                        also necessary during fetal
          also high in polyunsatu-                                                          development and through
          rated fatty acids (PUFA),                                                         adult life to maintain the
          which deplete the body of                                                         presence of cells lining the
          this nutrient.  Palm oil is a                                                     lungs that are covered in
                     12
          much better source, having                                                        hair-like projections called
          a vitamin Eto- PUFA ra-                                                           cilia.  These hairs sweep
                                                                                                19
          tio that is 8 times higher                                                        away debris and foreign
          than that of soybean oil                                                          material, protecting the
          and 13 times higher than                                                          lungs from pollutants and
          that of safflower oil.  The                                                       infectious diseases. During
                           13
          vitamin E content of grass-                                                       and after the formation of
          fed animal fats is four times                                                     all these systems, vitamin
          higher than that of grain-fed                                                     A is necessary for their
          animal fats. Nuts, seeds,                                                         continued growth.
                    14
          fresh fruits and vegetables                                                           The RDA of vitamin
          and freshly ground grains                                                         A for pregnant women is
          also contain vitamin E.                                                           2,600  IU—just  300  IU
                                                    more than the RDA for women who are not pregnant. There are several
          VITAMIN A                                 problems with this figure, described in the sidebar below. We do not have
              In the years following the discovery of the  exact figures for the vitamin A content of the preconception and pregnancy
          role of vitamin E in rat fertility, researchers  diets used by the groups that Price studied, but they were certainly higher
          quickly began to realize that vitamin A was even  than 2,600 IU per day. These groups prized organ meats, especially liver,
          more important to reproduction. In Nutrition and  and used them on a regular basis. Preconception and pregnancy diets added
          Physical Degeneration, Price described the early  additional foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins.
          work on vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy     The Weston A. Price Foundation recommends 20,000 IU per day
          and the preconception period. In diverse species  from cod liver oil and additional vitamin A from milk, butter, eggs
          of laboratory animals, this deficiency produced  and three to eight ounces of liver per week. Yet the medical profes-
          spontaneous abortion; prolonged labor and death  sion warns pregnant women that this quantity of vitamin A increases




                             FIGURE 2. COMPARISON OF COMMERCIAL U.S. MILK AVAILABLE IN 1970
                            TO MAASAI MILK IN DRY AND WET SEASONS IN NAROK DISTRICT OF KENYA
                       Nutrient             American              Maasai – Dry         Maasai – Wet
                       Fat                  3.8 g/100 mL          6.5 g/100 mL         10.4 g/100 mL
                       Cholesterol          11 mg/100 mL          16.4 mg/100 mL       24.2 mg/100 mL
                       Phospholipids        21 mg/100 mL          78 mg/100 mL         109 mg/100 mL
                       Sugar                4.9 g/100 mL          3.4 g/100 mL         3.4 g/100 mL




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