August 2003

The five stages of pregnancy: Conception

by Dr. Howard Loomis

Part 2 in a series...

Last month, I began a multiple‑part series on the nutrition of pregnancy, introducing the concept of pre‑conception planning on the part of both the mother and father. I believe that good prenatal nutrition does not come in a bottle labeled "prenatal multiple vitamin and mineral supplement." There are two reasons for my position.

First, many prenatal vitamin and mineral products contain ingredients of the cheapest quality that can be bottled and labeled legally. Many expectant mothers will tell you that the products make them nauseous, which means that the supplements are not being properly digested and assimilated.

Second, the term "prenatal" means prior to birth, NOT prior to conception, a subject covered last month. Additional supplementation of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects in the baby is the standard recommendation. But remember, the neural tube develops within the first three weeks of pregnancy! Often the mother‑to‑be doesn't even know at three weeks that she's pregnant.

Before looking at nutritional needs during the first three months of pregnancy, I want to summarize the incredibly important role of lipid digestion and assimilation for both males and females as it concerns conception and the development of the fetus.

In a sentence, fatty acids are the problem with problem pregnancies. In this day of great technological advances and research in artificial insemination, fertility pills, and in‑vitro fertilization, essential nutrients not only take a back seat to the "latest and greatest" but also are seemingly forgotten entirely.

EFAs

There are three essential fatty acids (EFAs): linoleic, arachidonic, and linolenic.

***  Linoleic acid, an 18‑carbon fatty acid with two double bonds, cannot be produced by the body and therefore must be included in the diet. It is found in vegetable and seed oils, including safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed, sesame, and peanut. Linolenic acid promotes growth and heals dermatitis.

***  Arachidonic acid is a 20‑carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid with four double bonds. Arachidonic acid can be converted from linoleic acid so it is not absolutely essential. It is found in animal fat. It prevents dermatitis but does not promote growth.

***  Linolenic acid is an 18‑carbon fatty acid with three double bonds that cannot be synthesized by humans. It does not prevent dermatitis but does promote growth.

All three essential fatty acids are precursors for prostaglandins. These hormone‑like substances are produced and used within a tissue rather than being transported to other tissues. They stimulate contraction of smooth muscle in blood vessels (thus affecting blood pressure), and they regulate transmission of nerve signals. With regard to pregnancy, EFAs promote conception, prevent spontaneous abortion, and allow the mother to initiate labor and commence lactation after delivery.

Males apparently need more EFAs than females. This explains why nutrients such as fat‑soluble vitamins, A, D, and E are often used in the treatment of prostatic problems and low sperm counts. What used to be called vitamin F was, of course, a reference to fatty acids.

Females have more difficulty digesting fats and are certainly more susceptible to biliary stasis than males. Therefore, supplementation of oils should never be done at mealtime for women with problem pregnancies. The oils coat the food and are not readily emulsified. It's far better to supplement the oils between meals or in a dry form whenever possible. For these already fat‑deficient women, a low‑fat diet would be a disaster if pregnancy is desired. Better digestion with plant enzymes and improved dietary habits are the answer.

Other lipid‑related substances such as phospholipids and cholesterol are essential in these cases. Phospholipids are water‑soluble and increase the solubility of fats and keep them in an emulsified state, an incredibly important point in problem pregnancies. The most common phospholipid is lecithin, a necessary ingredient in cell walls. One of the most important supplements you can recommend for these women is a good source of wheat germ, not in oil form and not defatted.

Sterols are lipid‑related substances and include cholesterol and vitamin D, among others. Cholesterol plays an important role in the maintenance of the myelin sheath around nerve fibers. Cholesterol is also essential for the formation of sex hormones and bile salts, just what a knowledgeable doctor should order in problem pregnancies. Instead, the tendency today is toward prescribing drugs like statins, which have just the opposite effect.

Cholesterol is found in animal fats but is absent in vegetable fats. Since it can be synthesized in the body, dietary restriction is useless because the body simply makes what its homeostatic mechanisms dictate. The problem lies in delivering cholesterol to the target tissues. The answer to lowering high cholesterol levels lies in improving protein digestion, an idea whose time does not seem to have arrived yet, but I predict that it will not be long before it does.

(To receive a free copy of the video "Using Enzymes in Clinical Practice: The Loomis System," or to make a comment or ask a question about material covered in this column, call 800/662-2630. Or, write to Dr. Loomis at 6421 Enterprise Lane, Madison, WI 53719. Visit www.loomisenzymes.com online for information on upcoming Loomis Institute seminars.)