The McCarrison Society - NL 40/1: Special Generating Healthy Brains Edition

NL 40/1: Special Generating Healthy Brains Edition

Article Index
NL 40/1: Special Generating Healthy Brains Edition
Chairman's comments
GHB Special Report On The McCarrison Society
GHB:Report by Conference Organiser Rev Simon House, MA
GHB: Preconception to late adolescence:
GHB: From past to present: evolution and epigenetics
GHB: CLEAVE LECTURE Nutrition, the brain and mental ill health
GHB: Our changing diet; deficits and disorders
GHB: Genomic imprinting for brain development and behaviour
GHB: 'Brainfoods': Modulating brain structure and function
GHB: The effects of maternal anxiety or stress during pregnancy
GHB: Cornerstones in the Psychobiological Development of Mankind:
GHB: A psycho-soma integration perspective
GHB: 'New Parenting', psychotherapy, prenatal
GHB: Attention deficit disorders
GHB: Priorities in Research Funding
GHB:Into the future; avoiding the cost of folly
GHB: References
News
Mind What You Eat
McCarrison meeting with Sustain
Future Events

Page 21 of 22

McCarrison meeting with Sustain, Friday 5th May 2006

At the offices of Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF

Present: Courtney Van de Weyer, Jeanette Crossland, Michael Crawford, Kate Start.

The meeting was to discuss how Sustain and the McCarrison Society could best work together. There are a number of issues that Sustain are working on. These include the children’s food bill. Following the recommendations from the prior McCarrison Society Committee meeting on the recent e-mail exchange concerning the need for more research, there was a discussion about the merits of more research versus advocacy. It was agreed by Sustain that priority should be given to advocacy.

One area that has been ignored in the UK is the nutritional status of mothers, both pre-conceptually and whilst the foetus is in utero. Of particular concern are the numbers of ‘small-for-dates’ babies born. All too often this is related to poor nutritional status, of both the father, but particularly the mother. In France mothers are provided financial incentives to maintain good health and nutritional status. In the UK low birthweight increased from 6.6% in 1953 (England), 6.6% in 1973 (UK) to 7.6% in 2002 and to 8% in 2005 (UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund.). UK therefore has by far the worst record for low-birthweight babies in Western Europe - on a par with Rumania and Kazakhstan and worse than Cuba (5.7%).

In the normal population 1 or 2 per thousand live births will result in severe, neuro-developmental disorder such as cerebral palsy. At very preterm deliveries with birth weights below 1.5 Kg, the incidence rises above 200/1000 with an estimated cost of £2 to £4 billion a year. The social costs of the most severe cases of a child requiring 24 hour nursing care, to the parents and carers is incalculable.

According to the results of the EU funded project EPICure (Extremely Preterm Infants - a population based study of survival and health status, www.nottingham.ac.uk/obgyn/EPICure ), babies born preterm and at low birthweight, although apparently healthy at birth and 2 years of age, show significant signs of neurodevelopmental disorders such as behavioural problems, auditory and visual difficulties. Low birthweight is the single most identifiable cause of chronic physical and mental ill health. The scandal of the UK having such an appalling record should be a target for the McCarrison Society and Sustain.

Organisations with which to work could include Birthright and the College of Midwives. Tudor Trust, the Esmee Fairburn Trust and Foresight, the Association for Pre-conceptual Care.

Sustain were interested in reducing intakes of Omega 6 fatty acids, particularly in light of the increased use of soya oil in foodstuffs.

The McCarrison Society are planning to hold a meeting on 23rd October 2006 including representatives from the United Nations talking about the impact of nutrition on brain development.

Perhaps a joint conference with Sustain in the future could be about low birth weight and how best to prevent it with nutrition.

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