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Willner Chemists: The Nutritional Supplement Professionals
Nutrients Support Healthy Pregnancy
I
t's not always smooth sailing during
pregnancy. Problems can arise. Some
women, for example, can develop elevated
blood sugar during pregnancy, a condition
called gestational diabetes. Chances are
higher for women who are obese, have high
blood pressure, or are over age 30, among
other factors. The condition may allow the
baby to grow too large and may lead to
complications after birth.
In a recent study, 326 women in the third
trimester of pregnancy with gestational
diabetes took a placebo or 500 mg of
epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) per day
through birth.
What is EGCG?
EGCG is the main active ingredient in green
tea. Green tea is rich in phyto antioxidants, or
polyphenols, or catechins. The main catechin
is EGCG. For comparison purposes, green
tea-containing beverages used in clinical
research have been standardized to contain
about 400 mg of total catechins per cup, or
302 mg of EGCG per cup.
Compared to placebo, women who had
taken EGCG were more likely to give birth to
normal-weight babies-less than 8 lbs. 13 oz.
The women and their babies were also more
likely to have normal blood sugar levels.
Newborns were also less likely to have
respiratory distress, have a more normal heart
rate, better muscle tone and reflexes, and
healthy skin color.
(Reference: Journal of Human Nutrition &
Dietetics; March, 2017, Published Online)
Supplements of ECGC are available at
Willner Chemists, from several companies
(NOW, Bluebonnet, DaVinci Labs, etc). The
pharmacists and nutritionists at Willner will be
happy to assist you.
EGCG for moms and babies
Various green tea products and extracts
have been examined in clinical trials. Green
tea, green tea beverages, and green tea
extracts are typically standardized polyphenol
of total catechin content. The commonly used
dose of green tea, which is about 3 cups per
day, provides 240-480 mg of polyphenols
(53867). Green teas used in clinical research
have been standardized to contain 178-823
mg of total catechins per cup
(53994,53995,90156,90168,90174,90184).
Green tea-containing beverages used in
clinical research have been standardized to
contain about 400 mg of total catechins per
cup of green tea beverage (53987,54030), or
302 mg of EGCG per cup (90175).
Supplements containing green tea extract
have been standardized to contain about
400-450 mg of total catechins per capsule
(53994,53995,54035,54039).
