200 Chemicals Found In Newborns. Could Toxins Be A Cause Of Increased Birth Defects, Especially In Pre-Term Babies?

This post addresses three growing concerns; infant birth defects, premature births and chemicals found in newborns. We'll start with the latest report that shows premature babies born in the United States are more than twice as likely to have a major birth defect than full-term infants.

The researchers tracked nearly 7 million babies born between 1995 and 2000 in 13 states, accounting for about 30 percent of U.S. births, to better understand the relationship between birth defects and pre-term birth.

About 8 percent of babies born prematurely had a birth defect, compared to roughly 3 percent for full-term births, according to the researchers. The number jumped to 16percent of the very pre-term babies -- those born between 24 and 31 weeks gestation.

Researchers state that pre-term birth affects about 12 percent of infants born in the United States. And birth defects affect about 3 percent of births in the U.S. And we think it's important to recognize the pretty strong association between these two serious outcomes.

The March of Dimes advocacy group said the percentage of U.S. babies born pre-term has been rising since 1981. Full article on Reuters

I recently wrote this article about birth defects in infants. In 2004 three to five percent of all U.S. babies were born with birth defects according to CDC. That's one in every thirty three baby having a birth defect.

A closer look at the root cause of birth defects reveals the potential for a nutritional or toxic origin as the leading suspects.

Consider the fact that scientists have found newborns contaminated with over 200 chemicals or pollutants through the study of umbilical cord blood randomly selected from hospitals in 2004. The chemicals found in the cord blood included 187 that are known carcinogens, 217 are known neurotoxins and 208 are known to cause birth defects.


I wonder how many Moms-to-be are aware of this study on vitamins:
The New England Journal of Medicine reported in 1995:
22,000 pregnant women were given synthetic Vitamin A. The study was halted because birth defects increased 400%. - New England Journal of Medicine, 1995.

Most prenatal vitamins are made using synthetic ingredients which have shown to cause harm to a developing fetus (above study.) When these synthetic ingredients are taken the growing baby is being exposed to artificial substances before he/she takes the first breath of fresh air.

Along with synthetic ingredients many prenatal vitamins have artificial food coloring: FD&C Yellow #6 Lake. Artificial food and supplement colorings are made of coal tar and petrochemicals. (Artificial food coloring is known to be toxic and detrimental to children, among others.) See here for references .

Is this healthy for mom or baby?

Most doctors suggest pregnant Moms to take a prenatal vitamin - look at what goes into the vitamins. Could this be factor in pre-term births and infant birth defects increase?

The FDA has recommendations for women of child bearing age relative to consuming vitamin A, including dietary supplements.

"The problem comes from pre-formed Vitamin A and synthetic* forms of beta-carotene. (Examples of pre-formed vitamin A include retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate)

On the other hand, beta-carotene is a substance found naturally in plants, and it can be converted to vitamin A in the body. It is considerably less toxic than the pre-formed vitamin A.

The vitamin A in fruits and vegetables is naturally in the form of beta-carotene, and high intakes of vitamin A from these sources is generally not of concern." *Vitamins with beta-carotene listed without the food source is lab/man created synthetic Vitamin A.

If you are concerned about your prenatal multi vitamin and the health of you and your unborn child read this article about safety of prenatal vitamins for helpful information. Also get this free report Are Your Vitamins Safe? to compare vitamin ingredients. If your vitamin is synthetic or has food coloring added and this matters to you, find something safer - look for a whole food multivitamin. Find them at Whole Foods stores and health food stores or try ours for free.

Best wishes for you and your baby. Stay healthy and have a wonderful life with baby.

Three steps to trade your prenatal or any synthetic multivitamins for a whole food multi.

Beyond Organic Healthy Food