Expect a belly ache if you take a lot of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning your system only soaks up what it needs and then flushes out any extra. Because of this, vitamin C is relatively safe at doses well above your recommendation. However, if you take a megadose of the vitamin, you may wind up suffering from several uncomfortable side effects. Why You Need Vitamin C Vitamin C is often portrayed as an immune-boosting nutrient, but it is actually essential for your overall health, not just your immune system. You need vitamin C to produce new collagen, a connective tissue that provides elasticity in your skin and aids in wound healing. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, fighting off free radicals that damage cells and tissues. When free radicals build up in your system, you increase your chances of developing chronic diseases, including certain types of cancer. Vitamin C also allows your body to absorb plant-based iron, called non-heme iron, and plays a role in metabolizing protein.
Recommendation vs. Unsafe Level Vitamin C recommendation varies by gender. Men need 90 milligrams per day while women require 75 daily milligrams, reports the Office of Dietary Supplements. During pregnancy and while breast-feeding, women need 85 milligrams and 120 milligrams, respectively. Additionally, if you smoke, you'll have to get another 35 milligrams above your recommendation. You can safely ingest much more without serious complications, but you should limit your intake to less than 2,000 milligrams. Whether you take one large dose or several smaller doses throughout the day, going above this amount may lead to problems. Minor Negative Effects Vitamin C is unlikely to cause major health problems if you are generally healthy, even if you take a massive dose well above 100 percent of the daily value of the vitamin. However, since your system will try to flush the excess vitamin C out of your gut, you'll experience gastrointestinal issues. Severe abdominal cramping, bloating, diarrhea and nausea may occur after taking a mega-dose of vitamin C.
More Serious Problems It is possible to have more serious health implications from large doses of vitamin C up to 10,000 milligrams, although research is inconclusive. When you ingest large quantities of the vitamin, your body absorbs more non-heme iron from plant foods, possibly elevating iron levels in your system. You may be prone to suffering from oxalate kidney stones as well, if you continuously take large doses of vitamin C. Massive doses might even lead to birth defects, decreased antioxidant capabilities and low levels of vitamin B-12, reports the Linus Pauling Institute. It is important to note that these side effects occurred in a small number of people described in independent case reports. Further research is needed to show if these issues were directly related to the megadose of vitamin C or from an underlying health issue. Drug Interactions Taking large amounts of vitamin C may interact with some of your prescription medications. If you take a blood thinner or anticoagulant medication, vitamin C can inhibit its function.
Your doctor may need to increase the dose of your medication to maximize its potential. Your physician can evaluate how much vitamin C you're getting and determine whether you need to change your prescriptions. Vitamins & Supplements Home Related to Vitamins & Supplements Diet & Weight Management Your cells contain glutathione, which is a substance made from three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. Glutathione acts as an important antioxidant in your body. That means it helps combat free radicals. These are molecules that can damage your body's cells. Glutathione plays a role in many chemical reactions in your body. It also helps detoxify chemicals, including some that your body creates naturally, as well as pollutants and drugs. Your supply of glutathione seems to decrease as you get older, possibly because your body can't create as much. Lower glutathione levels appear to go hand-in-hand with poorer health. For instance, lower levels may play a role in many conditions that are more likely to develop in older people.
Your glutathione levels may also decrease during certain health problems, such as: Why do people take glutathione? Some people take glutathione: For its antioxidant power. To try to detoxify themselves. To attempt to protect themselves from the harmful effects of radiation and chemotherapy for cancer. People also take glutathione to try to treat weakened immune systems or infertility, as well as many other conditions. Some studies show that glutathione may be effective for helping protect the body from the harmful effects of some cancer treatments. There is not enough research to support other uses for it. Taking glutathione by mouth does not appear to be an effective way to get it into your body. In one study, giving healthy people 500 milligrams twice a day for a month didn't raise the level of glutathione in their blood. Some other studies looking at its health effects have used it in injection form or as a treatment inhaled into the lungs.
Certain other supplements may boost your body's production of glutathione, such as: Can you get glutathione naturally from foods? Your body doesn't seem to absorb glutathione well from foods. However, certain foods high in amino acids that contain sulfur may help boost your levels. What are the risks of taking glutathione?Taking glutathione long-term has been linked to lower zinc levels. Inhaled glutathione may also trigger asthma attacks in people who have asthma. Symptoms may include wheezing.Avoid taking glutathione if you're sensitive to it. Experts don't know if taking glutathione is safe during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.Tell your doctor about any supplements you're taking, even if they're natural. That way, your doctor can check on any potential side effects or interactions with any medications. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA.Many new mothers are advised that eating oranges, spicy food, onions and cabbage may upset their infant’s tummy and so should be avoided, but research suggests that for most babies these foods are not a problem.
However, there is increasing research into the effect that common allergy-causing foods such as wheat, eggs, nuts, milk and dairy products may have on infants. Additionally, studies show that nursing mothers who consume high amounts of fish (such as salmon and mackerel) in their diet may pass on the health-giving benefits from the omega-3 fatty acids to their baby – this can be particularly helpful in families with a history of asthma (ABA, 2004). While restricting a mother’s diet to assist a baby experiencing an allergy doesn’t have widespread support, research is continuing into the beneficial effect of maternal diet on preventing infant allergy (Palmer, 2004) over treating it. Many parts of breastmilk are consistent across feeds and over time. There are some that can vary with your diet, for example the type of fat in your diet resembles the type of fat in your breastmilk. Keep in mind that, even with such fluctuations, the total calories remain consistent. Supplements can alter some nutrient levels in breastmilk, for example vitamin B2 and vitamin C show a fast dose-related response to supplementation or dietary changes, while iron and calcium don’t.
Lactose found in breastmilk is largely independent of your diet. The protein found in breastmilk, mainly casein, doesn’t appear to be influenced by the maternal diet, even in the case where the mother is severely undernourished. Cows’ milk is not suitable for babies for numerous reasons including its composition of proteins and it lacks of taurine (an important amino acid for brain and eye function). Normal variations in dietary habits by nursing mothers don’t appear to significantly influence the volume or content of her milk. Mothers with poor nutrition can produce milk with lower energy, protein and fat; however, this is strongly influenced by the severity of the deficiencies and the duration and more likely in extreme cases. Studies in countries where nutrition is compromised have shown that the milk of nursing mothers remains sufficient to meet the needs of their babies assuming they feed on demand.You will hear from different people that a certain food should be avoided but often this is based on cultural beliefs and practices rather than scientific information.
As with any diet it is ideal to avoid junk foods, as they provide excessive calories with little nutrition. Try to avoid additives in your food where practical, instead opt for clean whole food. Ideally what you want is more bang for your buck so to speak: foods where the available space is packed with goodness. While the critical time for development is during the foetal stages, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recommended breastfeeding women generally don’t require special recommendations as the transfer of mercury is very low through breastmilk. Still, for safety, women can continue to follow the same guidelines as pregnant women in relation to fish intake. I simply couldn’t ignore this food, it really can be a ‘feel good’ food at times, and at times a little bit of chocolate during one of those long, quiet feeds can be just the trick, but, yes, all things in balance. A little bit of chocolate won’t hurt either of you, just keep it to a treat and enjoy it.
If you really feel bad about it, opt for something such as organic dark chocolate-covered goji berries – at least you can argue that you are getting something healthy this way! We now know that breastfeeding offers some protection against the formation of allergies. Breastfed babies are less likely to experience an allergy. For example, breastfeeding can be particularly helpful in infants whose family has a history of allergies, such as those with asthma, sinusitis, wheezing and eczema (NHMRC, 2003). Research suggests that the antibodies in breastmilk (specifically IgA) may bind to food proteins to form a complex that reduces the likelihood of these proteins crossing into baby’s blood (Palmer et al., 2004). While altering your diet (for example, reducing the intake of common allergens such as eggs, nuts, dairy and gluten or expressing off the foremilk, which is higher in lactose) is not generally well supported by research, you will hear of many practitioners recommending such changes and that they have been successful.
Who’s to say that research just hasn’t caught up to anecdotal evidence? We now know that parts of egg protein can pass whole into breastmilk, so who knows what other food compounds may pass that we are unaware of as yet. Ultimately, do what works best for you and your baby, as long as you have all the nutritional bases covered. Any food or food group you remove from an otherwise healthy balanced diet should be replaced. Any dietary amendment must be undertaken with careful consideration, in particular changes that involve a reduction in variety and food groups as this can mean reduced nutrient intake, insufficient calorie intake and the development of other food sensitivities from over-exposure to a limited range of foods. Figure 1 provides a brief example of some of the vitamins and minerals that may be an issue if a specific allergy-forming food is removed from the diet. Keep in mind this list doesn’t include essential amino acids and essential fatty acids (EFAs) as well as other nutritive factors.
Alternative foods that are either fortified or rich in specific nutrients may need to be sourced. For example, using calcium-fortified alternative ‘milk’ drinks such as rice, soy or oat may be an option. Caffeine is quickly absorbed and reaches a peak concentration in the body within an hour. While the actual amount that you consume – and which then turns up in your breastmilk – is variable, it is estimated that 0.06% to 1.5% of the amount of caffeine you drink crosses into breastmilk. Caffeine can also sit in the body for long periods; this is particularly so for newborns. Caffeine has an affinity with the fatty, creamy layer of breastmilk and consequently tends to be most concentrated two hours after it is consumed. It appears that caffeine can reduce milk supply and may be implicated in recurrent mastitis (ABA, 2004). Some findings also show that mothers who drink caffeinated beverages have lower iron levels in their breastmilk than those who don’t have caffeine;
this may explain the increased prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia in countries where a lot of coffee is drunk. Babies of mothers consuming large amounts of caffeine can show signs of agitation, jitteriness, constipation and general unsettledness. But don’t panic: you need not deny yourself small pleasures in life such as the occasional cup of tea or coffee. However, it is best to keep your intake to one or two cups once in a while, ideally after feeding. The American Academy of Paediatrics suggests that nursing mothers consume no more than three cups of coffee a day (equivalent to less than 300mg/day); they also warn that smoking increases the effect of caffeine in the body, so mothers who smoke should reduce this amount even further. The amount of alcohol that passes to breastmilk is roughly equivalent to the mother’s blood alcohol level. It appears that acetaldehyde (the toxic metabolite from alcohol) may also pass into breastmilk. Studies show that within 30 minutes just one standard drink alters breastmilk and can have a mildly sedative effect on baby as well as reducing mother’s letdown reflex.
Alcohol may interfere with the release of oxytocin in many lactating women. Also, a sleepy infant is less likely to be able to suck and, of course, drowsiness in babies is not ideal with concerns about SIDS. Research suggests that motor development is also impaired in infants exposed to alcohol through breastmilk and with the reduced ability for infants, particularly very young infants, to detoxify alcohol, the ramifications for development are potentially huge. Other concerns with alcohol consumption include its possible link with mother’s inability to cope and potential depression – alcohol has a depressive effect on our systems. Being nutritionally empty, alcohol can reduce appetite and replace food; combining these effects we begin to see a potentially negative spiralling effect on the mother-baby relationship. While breastfeeding it is best to avoid alcohol intake (particularly in the first three months) and, at most, lactating mothers should consume no more than two standard drinks in a day.
However, if mother wishes to have a small drink or requires a drink for whatever reason (personal, religious or other), some strategies that can be provided to her to reduce the effects include: Guidelines (endorsed by the Ministerial Council for Drug Strategy) suggest if you choose to drink you should have no more than seven standard drinks a week and no more than two a day. But some health groups believe that this is too lax, and may send the wrong message. The New Zealand Government updated its policy recently and now recommends a zero alcohol intake for breastfeeding mothers. It’s always advisable to seek professional advice if you’re considering taking a supplement during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In some cases, vitamins and minerals can mask deficiencies or even interact with medications. Your healthcare professional might recommend a multivitamin supplement if you fit into the following categories: This information has been provided by Leanne Cooper from Sneakys baby and child nutrition.