No associations were seen between education and intake of total fat; saturated, monounsaturated, and total and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids; alcohol; or sodium. Regarding food, higher education was associated with a higher intake of vegetables, fish and shellfish, Metabolism inhibitor and potatoes and lower intake of rice. Education was not associated with intake of bread, noodles, confectioneries and sugars, fats and oils, pulses and nuts, meat, eggs, dairy products, or fruit. For occupation, housewives had a higher intake of dietary Fiber, magnesium, iron,

vitamin A, folate, and pulses and nuts than working women. Household income was not associated with any nutrient or food examined. In conclusion, education, but not occupation or household income, was positively associated with favorable dietary intake patterns in a group of ABT-737 molecular weight pregnant Japanese women. (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) is growing in the general population. Herbal medicines are used in all countries of the world and are included in the top CAM therapies used.\n\nMethods: A multinational study on how women treat disease and pregnancy-related health

ailments was conducted between October 2011 and February 2012 in Europe, North and South America and Australia. In this study, the primary aim was to determine the prevalence selleck compound of herbal medicine use in pregnancy and factors related to such use across participating countries and regions. The secondary aim was to investigate who recommended the

use of herbal medication in pregnancy.\n\nResults: There were 9,459 women from 23 countries participating in the study. Of these, 28.9% reported the use of herbal medicines in pregnancy. Most herbal medicines were used for pregnancy-related health ailments such as cold and nausea. Ginger, cranberry, valerian and raspberry were the most commonly used herbs in pregnancy. The highest reported rate of herbal use medicines was in Russia (69%). Women from Eastern Europe (51.8%) and Australia (43.8%) were twice as likely to use an herbal medicine versus other regions. Women using herbal medicines were characteristically having their first child, non-smokers, using folic acid and consuming some alcohol in pregnancy. Also, women who were currently students and women with an education other than a high school degree were more likely to use herbal medicines than other women. Although 1 out of 5 women stated that a physician had recommended the herbal use, most women used herbal medicine in pregnancy on their own initiative.