German national consensus recommendations on nutrition and lifestyle in pregnancy by the 'Healthy Start - Young Family Network'.

Diet and physical activity before and during pregnancy affect short- and long-term health of mother and child. The energy needs at the end of pregnancy increase only by about 10% compared to nonpregnant women. An excessive energy intake is undesirable since maternal overweight and excessive weight gain can increase the risks for a high birth weight and later child overweight and diabetes. Maternal weight at the beginning of pregnancy is especially important for pregnancy outcome and child health. Women should strive to achieve normal weight already before pregnancy. Regular physical activity can contribute to a healthy weight and to the health of pregnant women. The need for certain nutrients increases more than energy requirements. Before and during pregnancy, foods with a high content of essential nutrients should be preferentially selected. Supplements should include folic acid and iodine, iron (in case of suboptimal iron stores), the ω-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (in case of infrequent consumption of ocean fish) and vitamin D (in case of decreased sun exposure and decreased endogenous vitamin D synthesis). Pregnant women should not smoke and not stay in rooms where others smoke or have smoked before (passive smoking). Alcohol consumption should be avoided, since alcohol can harm unborn children.

[Nutrition in pregnancy - Practice recommendations of the Network "Healthy Start - Young Family Network"]. / Ernährung in der Schwangerschaft - Teil 1.

Nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle in pregnancy influence maternal and child health. The "Healthy start - Young Family Network" supported by the German Government with the national action plan IN FORM developed recommendations on nutrition in pregnancy. Energy needs increase by only ≈10 % by the end of pregnancy whereas micronutrient needs increase much more. Normal weight should preferably be achieved before pregnancy. Dietary recommendations follow those for the general population. Folic acid supplements (400 µg/day) should be started before pregnancy and continue for at least the first trimester. Iodine rich foods and salt and an iodine supplement (100-150 µg/day) are recommended. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids should be provided with ≥ 1 weekly portion of oily sea fish, or a DHA-supplement if regular fish consumption is avoided. Vitamin D supplementation is advisable unless there is regular exposure to sunlight. Health care professions should lead parents to health-promoting lifestyles. Subjects of part 2 of the article are practice recommendations on nutrition in pregnancy, especially vegetarian diets, recommendations on micronutrient supplementation, risk reduction of listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and physical activity in pregnancy.

[Nutrition in pregnancy - Practice recommendations of the Network "Healthy Start - Young Family Network"]. / Ernährung in der Schwangerschaft - Teil 2. Handlungsempfehlungen des Netzwerks "Gesund ins Leben - Netzwerk Junge Familie".

Nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle in pregnancy influence maternal and child health. The "Healthy start - Young Family Network" supported by the German Government with the national action plan IN FORM developed recommendations on nutrition in pregnancy. Folic acid supplements (400 µg/day) should be started before pregnancy and continue for at least the first trimester. Iodine rich foods and salt and an iodine supplement (100-150 µg/day) are recommended. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids should be provided with ≥ 1 weekly portion of oily sea fish, or a DHA-supplement if regular fish consumption is avoided. Vitamin D supplementation is advisable unless there is regular exposure to sunlight. Iron supplements should be used based on medical history and blood testing. Vegetarian diets with nutritional supplements can provide adequate nutrition, but counselling is recommended. In contrast, a vegan diet is inadequate and requires additional micronutrient supplementation. For risk reduction of listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, raw animal foods, soft cheeses and packed fresh salads should be avoided; fresh fruit, vegetables and salad should be washed well and consumed promptly. Pregnant women should remain physically active and perform sports with moderate intensity. They should avoid alcohol, active and passive smoking. Up to 3 daily cups of coffee are considered harmless, but energy drinks should be avoided. Childhood allergy is not reduced by avoiding certain foods in pregnancy whereas oily sea fish is recommended. Health care professions should lead parents to health-promoting lifestyles. Subjects of part 1 of the article are practice recommendations on nutrition, on energy needs, micronutrient needs and body weight/weight gain in pregnancy.

What can be safely said about predialysis treatment?

The modern principles of protein restriction and concomitant treatment in the predialysis period were explained. Our own data of a prospective study show the superiority of a keto acid-substituted diet with regard to the progression of chronic renal failure. The advantage of a keto acid administration was underlined.

Role of keto acids in the prophylaxis and treatment of renal osteopathy.

KA administration given in addition to a low-protein diet leads to a reduction of PTH secretion followed by diminishing of osteofibrosis. Osteomalacia will also be reduced by a better control of the calcium-phosphate metabolism, an increase of 1,25-(OH)2-D levels, and a lower burden of aluminum. Therapeutic levels of 25-OH-D and calcitonin (caused by simultaneous administration of vitamin D) are probably necessary to achieve this effect. KA are not only the optimum form of substitution in the nutritional treatment of chronic renal failure, but they seem to be very effective in the treatment of renal osteodystrophy.

Influence of keto acid (KA) treatment on renal osteodystrophy.

A marked improvement of renal osteodystrophy was achieved after a combined treatment with keto acids and vitamin D in patients with chronic renal failure. Results were checked by histological investigations. The biochemical background of the successful treatment was analysed. A regression of hyperparathyroidism and improvement in vitamin D status are the cause of this phenomenon.

[Controlling renal osteopathy with keto acids]. / Beeinflussung der renalen Osteopathie durch Ketosäuren.

Starting from the results of former investigations the influence of the long-term treatment with the KA of the essential amino acids on the renal osteopathy is investigated. For this purpose we compared 27 patients with renal insufficiency (serum creatinine 981 +/- 354 mumol/l), who besides vitamin D had been treated with KA for at least 12 months, to a group of 50 patients (serum creatinine 778 +/- 273 mumol/l), who had received vitamin D over 19 +/- 9 months, and to a control group of 27 patients (serum creatinine 928 +/- mumol/l) without an adequate conservative therapy. While the control group showed the typical constellation in advanced renal insufficiency with hypocalcaemia, hyperphosphataemia, clearly increased PTH levels, clearly increased CT values and normal 25-OH-D concentrations, during the diettherapy and the vitamin D substitution a significant increase of the serum levels of calcium, 25-OH-D and CT as well as a significant decrease of the PTH and the anorganic phosphate in the serum developed. Under the combination therapy with KA and vitamin D despite the reduction of the phosphate binders another significant decrease of the PTH and the anorganic phosphate was observed. The mineral content of the bones was within the normal in the two therapy groups. The percentage of the normal histological findings of the bones was with 40.7% highest despite the advanced renal insufficiency in the simultaneous substitution with KA. While in the vitamin D group during the control biopsy after 12 months in 20.5% of the cases an improvement of the histological findings developed, this effect occurred under additional KA-therapy in 51.9% of the cases. The results allow the conclusion that by means of the long-term treatment with KA a favourable influence on the renal osteopathy develops.

Conservative treatment with ketoacid and amino acid supplemented low-protein diets in chronic renal failure.

Twenty-six patients with advanced renal failure (glomerular filtration rate less than 6 ml/min) were treated with a mixed quality low protein diet and ketoacid analogues. An improvement in nitrogen balance, serum transferrin and phosphate, and base excess was observed after 2 weeks of treatment. In a longer term study, the result of 20 patients treated with ketoacids for up to 14 months were compared to a group 40 patients who received a low-protein diet with essential amino acids. Patients responded similarly to the two diets; however, the group receiving ketoacids had a significantly lower glomerular filtration rate. There was improvement in calcium and phosphate metabolism with ketoacid treatment. The patients were able to tolerate treatment with both the ketoacids and vitamin D.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in patients with chronic renal failure on long-term treatment with high doses of vitamin D2.

The present study was aimed at answering the following two questions: (1) What is the effect of high dose vitamin D treatment on the serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF)? (2) Is there any effect of urinary protein loss on the serum 25-OH-D levels during treatment with pharmacological doses of vitamin D? 42 patients with CRF were studied. They were treated conservatively by a low protein diet and received 15 mg of vitamin D2 once a week. Long-term administration of vitamin D caused a significant (5- to 7-fold) increase of plasma 25-OH-D level irrespective of the degree of proteinuria. This increase was noted only during the first 5 months of vitamin D2 treatment. Surprisingly only in some patients moderate hypercalcemia (> 2.75 mmol/l) was found. From the results obtained it is concluded that (1) patients with CRF differ from normal subjects in handling of high doses of vitamin D and (2) high dosage treatment with vitamin D may prevent hypocalcemia in patients with CRF in spite of high proteinuria.

[Nutrition and arteriosclerosis]. / Ernährung und Arteriosklerose.

Issuing from the present state of the influence of the basic nutritive substances (protein, fat, carbohydrates) and various nutritive factors discussed again and again (cholesterol, erucaic acid, sodium, calcium/magnesium quotient, pressor amines) on the development of the arteriosclerosis, the indididual factors of influence are critically evaluated. The investigations are getting under way, so that ascertained results are standing beside insufficiently claified or open problems, From the abundance of the observations conclusions are drawn which are of significance for practice. Unfavourable influences of nutrition on the factors of risk (hyperlipoproteinaemia, disturbance of the carbohydrate tolerance, hyperuricaemia, hyperalimentation) and on the manifest diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, uric arthritis, obesity) of the metabolic syndrome which finally contribute to the development of arteriosclerosis are emphasized. In front of this background a clinically and ambulatorily tested basic metabolic diet is described. About 20% of the energy content (kcal or kJ) of this diet are protein, 35% fat and 45% are carbohydrates. The saturated fatty acids lie below 30%, the manifold saturated fatty acids, however, above 20% of the total fat proportion. The cholesterol content is below 400 mg, the purin-nitrogen below 200 mg, and the sodium content is about 2g per day. This diet can be produced for the treatment of persons with normal weight and overweight in different energetic degradations.

[Therapy of obesity--effectiveness of calorie-reducing diets with various basic nutritional relations]. / Zur Therapie der Fettsucht--Effektivität kalorienreduzierter Diäten mit unterschiedlichen Grundnährstoffrelationen.

Within the research project nutrition and performance on altogether 80 test persons during a three weeks' test period the problem was examined, whether the relations of the basal nutrients have an influence on the effectiveness of a diet with an only moderate reduction of calories. The relations of the nutrients were tested in four variants. The daily caloric intake orients at the optimum weight of the test person: 30 kcal/kg optimum weight a day. It was shown that the so-called optimum weight caloric diet led to a sufficient continuous decrease of weight without disturbances of the general state of health. The variation of the relations of the basal nutrients had no decisive influence on the effectiveness.