It is well documented that good nutrition during pregnancy is essential for the health of both the fetus and the pregnant woman. Various barriers may prevent pregnant women from consuming all the vital nutrients recommended; this can include poverty, access to food, nausea and vomiting. However, many women may unwittingly elude important nutrients by following restrictive diets, such as vegetarian or vegan diets, often believing that this is a healthy option. Fortification of food and supplementation of key micronutrients, particularly folic acid, vitamin D and iron can help to ensure optimal nutritional status in pregnant women, particularly where diets may be lacking. Globally, Governments and health organisations have issued recommendations and/or started schemes that aim to optimise micronutrient intake in pregnancy, mainly via targeted supplementation. © 2018 TeknoScienze. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:To study the effects of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) on the skin, we investigated skin-related parameters in healthy adults who received GOS for 12 weeks.METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN:This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study included subjects divided into two groups (control and GOS) by stratified block randomization. The GOS group received 1.0 g of GOS twice a day, whereas the control group received only vehicle.RESULTS:The results showed that the increase in corneometer values from baseline to week 12 was significantly greater in the GOS group than in the control group (6.91 vs 2.88 arbitrary units, p<0.05). The transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in the GOS group was reduced significantly after 12 weeks of GOS treatment (20.1 g/h/m2 at baseline vs 17.5 g/h/m2 at week 12, p<0.05). The differences in total and percentage of wrinkle areas between the two groups were statistically significant after 12 weeks of GOS treatment (p<0.05).CONCLUSION:Our findings support that oral treatment with GOS is beneficial to the skin and present the possibility of new nutritional strategies for skin care.
