TO SUPPORT THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF THE FETAL NEURAL TUBE
Liposomal folic acid (folate)
Folic acid can reduce certain birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. These birth defects are called neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs happen when the spinal cord fails to close properly. Adequate folate intake is proven to reduce the risk of neural tube defects. The mechanism by which folate reduces the risk of NTDs is not well understood but is likely related to its role in nucleotide synthesis, which is especially important for the rapidly dividing cells in the embryonic neural tube. Without an adequate supply of nucleotides to facilitate deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) replication, the development of neural folds could be impaired. Adequate maternal folate status is important in preventing NTDs, but folic acid supplementation may also prevent NTDs in some individuals with normal folate concentrations who may not metabolize folate in an optimal manner.
Nanomicronized choline
Choline is critical during fetal development, when it influences stem cell proliferation and apoptosis, thereby altering brain and spinal cord structure and function and influencing risk for neural tube defects and lifelong memory function. Insufficient maternal choline intake during early embryogenesis could be associated with brain malformations such as neural tube defects (NTDs).
Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA/EPA)
Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic fatty acid (DHA), are widely recognized to impact fetal and infant neurodevelopment. Docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6n-3 (DHA), is critically necessary for the structure and development of the growing fetal brain in utero. Maternal diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids upregulate genes involved in neurotrophin signalling in fetal brain during pregnancy. DHA is just as important as folate for neural tube closure. Maternal DHA is mobilized rapidly during the first month of gestation prior to neural tube closure, demonstrating that supplementing with DHA pre-pregnancy and/or in early pregnancy may be an important addition to a maternity care plan.
There is substantial evidence on the importance of maternal diet for the health of the fetus. The nutrient status
of the fetus is mostly dependent on maternal intake and it has been known for many years that deficiencies in critical nutrients can lead to malformations and poor health outcomes for both the mother and offspring. It is because of this that, often, pregnancy is a time that expectant mothers will focus on their health and nutrient intake.
Adequate nutrition is an important health care package for maternal and child health in the course of pregnancy. Pregnant women are susceptible to nutritional deficiencies due to an increment in nutrient needs to provide increased nutritional demands due to fetal growth and development, and changes in maternal metabolism such as pregnancy induced development of tissues.
Additionally, nutritional requirements for healthy women can be increased based on the trimesters of the fetus. Although this pregnancy associated increased nutritional demand can be met by an appropriate consumption of food in a balanced diet, additional use of dietary supplements has been thought a key nutritional product with a crucial role in the maintenance of adequate nutritional status.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of preterm and underweight babies delivered are about 15 million and 20 million respectively. Women from low- and middle- income countries suffer from multiple-micronutrient deficiencies due to inadequate intake of animal products, fruits, vegetables and fortified foods and consequently, more than 95% of those born with low birth weight are occurring in these countries.
Recent evidence suggests so far, the particular importance of dietary supplements and in fact, available information indicates that majority of essential micronutrients’ requirements increase with the trimester of the pregnancy. Along with this growth in prenatal nutrition, however, there is increasing concern over pregnant women at risk of dietary deficiency in several key nutrients such as calcium, iron, folic acid and vitamin D. A considerable amount of literature has been supporting the link between inadequate maternal nutritional status and adverse pregnancy outcomes, poor infant survival, congenital anomalies and risk of chronic diseases and impaired mental development in later life.
The high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies among pregnant women is associated with an increased demand of the nutrients because of fetal and maternal tissue growth and development. Any compromised intake of these nutrients in both quality and quantity during pregnancy results in failure to fulfill the increased demand of essential nutrients which would result in some adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy increase the vulnerability of the mothers to different disease, increase the rate of miscarriage, and the babies delivered will be underweight whose survival is at risk. Moreover, the low weight gain of mothers due to compromised nutrition during pregnancy is a risk factor for the delivery of infants too small for their gestational age, which in turn leads to neonatal morbidity and mortality, growth failure, retarded cognitive development and adulthood chronic diseases.
PREGNIGEN is a specially designed line of dietary supplements for pregnant women. It consists of 6 remarkable formulations:
PG1: to support the healthy development of the fetal neural tube
PG2: to support the development of the fetal immune system and vision
PG3: to support the musculoskeletal health of both mother and fetus
PG4: to support the development of a healthy cardiovascular system and the formation of blood cells
PG5: to support the healthy development of the fetal nervous system and brain
PG6: to support the health and vitality of skin, hair, and nails during pregnancy
In order for the baby to grow and develop and for the mother to remain healthy, PREGNIGEN makes sure that both receive the proper nutrients.
