New Beginnings Doula Training

New Beginnings Doula Training
Courses for doulas and online childbirth education

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Possible new prevention for Pre-eclampsia-adding an amino acid to your diet

A new research paper just recently released the news that L-arginine may help prevent pre-eclampsia.  The theory behind it goes like this.  Pre-ecplamsia is a disease that affects the placenta and causes the mother's blood pressure to increase.  Arginine is an amino acid that is converted into nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide then promotes vasodilation, or causes the blood vessels to dilate, thus leading to a decrease in blood pressure.  What is interesting, is pre-eclampsia is associated with an increase of factors that inhibit nitric oxide.  So women who have a tendency towards pre-eclampsia may need more arginine.

In the study, participants were given 6.6g of arginine, plus antioxydents(also theorized to help with pre-eclampsia).  There were some side effects which included, nausea, dizziness, dyspepsia, and palpatations.  So, me being the natural minded person I am, I wondered what foods we could eat that might cause the same increase in arginine, without the side effects.

So, here's a food you can use to increase your arginine...watermelon.  A study I read showed by drinking three 8oz glasses you can increases your arginine by 11%.  By drinking 6 glasses a day it increases by  18%.
For your info:  1Cup of watermelon has .09g of arginine.

Also, for unknown reasons, some research has shown that an increase in soy and rice proteins also increases arginine levels.



http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d2901.full
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(07)00012-3/abstract
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=79

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Birth is a Journey: Does it have to be life changing?


  • One woman might have to climb on an overfilled boat, risking her life and nearly dying as she escapes over the ocean to come to this land. This experience could certainly be life altering. It may very well color the rest of her life, positively or negatively. (I overcame this amazing struggle and here I am triumphant! OR Holy crap, that was SO hard I don’t know if I can go on! By the way, neither response is “right”. No one would judge the woman with the 2nd response.)
  • One woman may buy an airplane ticket, sit on a comfortable 747 and fly to America with a nice smooth flight and landing. She is happy to be in America. Those welcoming her are glad she is here safe and sound. She may only travel by plane 2-4 times in her life, so it is pretty memorable. But the journey itself probably wouldn’t be life changing; it would simply be a journey.
  • One woman may learn to fly an ultra-light plane to lead a flock of geese into America teaching them to migrate. This experience could certainly be empowering and life altering.