Kwabena A-Manager, Author at TalkAfrique

February 20, 2011April 21, 2011

Out of Zanzibar Comes the Magic Pill: Love in a Spice

Recently, I was doing a Google search for an Analytical Chemistry article on chromatographic separation when I came across one article that was about the separation of the constituents in nutmeg. One reference led me to the other until I finally stumbled upon one material that I found the most exciting. By this time I had accidentally left the chemistry journal website and browsing through diverse materials; some were good ones and some junk, such as, get one-month prescription of this and that for free, pay only shipping, and things like that.

Let me give you a brief description of nutmeg before I uncover the strange discovery I stumbled upon.

Nutmeg is the dried kernel of the seeds of an evergreen tree with strong aroma and a (slightly) bitter taste. It was used in the preparations of various medicines in ancient times. Even today it is used widely in pharmaceutical preparations. The oil extracted from the herb is used in liniments, perfumes, hair lotions and as an antispasmodic. It has applications in managing digestive disorders, insomnia, dehydration, skin disorders and common cold.

But the strange use of nutmeg that I came across which interests my scientific curiosity the most is the use as sex-stimulating spice for women who have either lost their passion or could do with a little help. And the exciting this about this secret is that it is the women of Zanzibar, Africa who hold the patent to this life changing magic pill for women.

This material that I landed upon was about STONE TOWN in Zanzibar. According to the material even if there were women Viagra on the market, the women of Stone Town would have nothing to with it because nutmeg plays the exact role in their lives. Again, in Zanzibar, women attending funerals, weddings and other social functions have no regard for alcohol because they do not need it to let go their inhibition. Their new secret is nutmeg mixed with porridge early in the morning before leaving for the occasion.

There are certain things every woman must have in her purse: A pocket mirror, a pen, a notepad, Aspirin (ibuprofen), lip gloss/ chap-stick, cell phone and the usual feminine products. In Stone Town, a woman attending a wedding or funeral doesn’t care about any of the above-mentioned products. The one thing she must have in her purse is nutmeg.

Stone Town is predominantly an Islamic community (95% Moslems). Alcohol is strongly prohibited by Islam. Nutmeg is not. These women, by the gift of nature, use the nutmeg to fill a big gap that the prohibition of alcohol leaves in their lives.

There’s Viagra for men but women Viagra is not an everyday prescription yet. The price of nutmeg fluctuates around four dollars per pound. For the average woman, this can sustain her for a couple of days. If the women of Zanzibar can improvise with the ‘magic substance’, it shouldn’t be an Apollo IX scale project for scientist to find something for women.

The only disadvantage mentioned is strong taste of nutmeg, which may make it difficult to consume enough of it to get the desired result. Of course, if the active ingredient is extracted, then only milligrams may be needed to get the ‘high’. Even with the current crude form of the material, the sources say a woman needs no more than two nutmegs to “make her eyes soft,”

I’ve been looking for peer-reviewed scientific articles to substantiate the claims of the women of Zanzibar. I’ve hence come across an experimental study by researchers at the Aligarh Muslim University in India. The team found that nutmeg significantly increased sexual activity of rats. This was established by observing an increase in their “mounting frequency, intromission frequency, intromission latency,” as well as erections, quick flips, long flips and the aggregate of penile reflexes with penile stimulation.”

I’m afraid the women of Zanzibar may be holding the patent to a life-changing substance for women, sex enhancing spice. I am employed at the moment and work in somebody’s laboratory so I can not have the luxury to investigate this for myself experimentally to establish the scientific basics for the nutmeg’ sex boosting power. But when I retire and set up my own laboratory, needless to say, research into nutmegs and other country medicines will be a top priority for me.[ad#justluxe_125x125redtag][ad#Adsense-200by200sq]

February 17, 2011February 19, 2011

Your Expectations Can Determine Whether a Drug Works for You

Your can manipulate your thought to determine the effect of drugs

A positive attitude in life is not only essential for career development and success, in fact according a new study published in Science Translational Medicine, pessimism can determine whether a drug works for you or not. According to the study, a patient’s belief that a drug will not work can become a self fulfilling prophecy.

What this means that if one expects that a tablet of ibuprofen will do nothing to alleviate his or her pain, the body may actually not experience any benefit from taking the pill. Simply put, you can change the outcome of the drug by manipulating your thoughts and expectations. It all boils down to the state of mind.

I’ve summarized the study for you below

The experimental Setup:

The researchers assembled 22 patients for the study. At the beginning of the experiments, heat was applied to the legs of the patients. On a scale of 1 to 100, the patients were then asked to report the level of pain. Then the patients were attached to an intravenous drip in order to administer drugs to them in secret.

The Result:

The initial average pain rating was 66. After the patients were given remifentanil, which is a potent painkiller, without their knowledge, the pain score went down to 55.

They were then told they were being given a painkiller and the score went down to 39.

Then, without changing the dose, the patients were then told the painkiller had been withdrawn and so they should expect pain. The score went up to 64.

So even though the patients were being given remifentanil, they were reporting the same level of pain as when they were getting no drugs at all.

The conclusion (mine)?
Your brain or state of mind plays a big role in the way you perceive pain, feel your environment and even acknowledge the effect of sickness. In essence, there is a cognitive side of sickness. If the magic pill that works for everybody isn’t working for you, it may be time to recondition your thought rather than switch doctors or blame the drug manufacturer.

But the bigger picture here is the need to acknowledge how pessimism can derail your progress in several facets of life. If nothing is working, it may all be in your mind.

Begin to think positively; you won’t lose anything if you find out your were wrong. Someone once said

“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.”

February 13, 2011January 3, 2013

Where is Female Genital Mutilation Practiced and What Efforts are Underway to Eradicate it?

By K. Amponsah-Manager

In the previous article, we looked at what female genital mutilation is, why it is practiced and geographical regions where it is practiced. Today’s article will present some figures about FGM in some African countries where it is practiced. FGM is practiced in Asia and other places but these will not be discussed in this article.

The African Union adopted a protocol in 2003 called the In Maputo Protocol with the aim of promoting women’s rights including an end to female genital mutilation and was approved by 15 member states. Even though some countries have officially ratified the Maputo Protocol, FGM is still in practice in several of these countries.

Once a social norm is established, it can be hard for individuals to decide against it. In fact in Senegal for instance, it is known that some parents fear their daughters may be socially marginalized or face reduced marriage prospects if they are denied circumcision. The consequence of this phenomenon is that even though FGM has been illegal since 1999, girls are still subjected to the procedure against their will.

The United States State Department has identified the countries where female genital mutilation is prevalent. Similar information is available from the United Nations WHO sources. Below are the countries in which FGM has been document as a traditional practice:

Country	Year	Estimated prevalence of FGM in Girls & women 15 – 49 years (%)
Country	Year
Benin	2006	12.9
Burkina Faso	2006	72.5
Cameroon	2004	1.4
Central African Republic	2008	25.7
Chad	2004	44.9
Côte d’Ivoire	2006	36.4
Djibouti	2006	93.1
Egypt	2008	91.1
Eritrea	2002	88.7
Ethiopia	2005	74.3
Gambia	2005/6	78.3
Ghana	2006	3.8
Guinea	2005	95.6
Guinea-Bissau	2006	44.5
Kenya	2008/9	27.1
Liberia	2007	58.2
Mali	2006	85.2
Mauritania	2007	72.2
Niger	2006	2.2
Nigeria	2008	29.6
Senegal	2005	28.2
Sierra Leone	2006	94
Somalia	2006	97.9
Sudan, northern (approximately 80% of total population in survey)	2000	90
Togo	2006	5.8
Uganda	2006	0.8
United Republic of Tanzania	2004	14.6
Yemen	2003	38.2

Additional Highlight

Burkina Faso

A law prohibiting FGC was enacted in 1996 and went into effect in February 1997. The Country also ratified the Maputo Protocol in 2006.

Central African Republic

In 1996, the President issued an Ordinance prohibiting FGC throughout the country. A violation of the law is punishable by a fine of approximately US$8–160. No arrests are known to have been made under the so far.

Egypt

Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population has banned all forms of female genital cutting since 2007.The ministry’s order declared it is ‘prohibited for any doctors, nurses, or any other person to carry out any cut of, flattening or modification of any natural part of the female reproductive system. However, it remains a culturally accepted practice, and a 2005 study found that over 95% of Egyptian women have undergone some form of FGC. (Egypt death sparks debate on female circumcision”. Reuters. 2007-08-20. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL30168862. Retrieved 2009-05-22)

Ghana

Ghana ratified the Maputo Protocol in 2007. Even before this, in 1989 President Rawlings issued a formal declaration against FGC. Article 39 of Ghana’s Constitution also provides in part that traditional practices that are injurious to a person’s health and well being are abolished.

Nigeria

Nigeria ratified the Maputo Protocol in 2005 but there is no federal law banning the practice of FGC in Nigeria.

The United Nations and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are intensifying the global campaign to eradicate female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). As a result of these efforts over the past years, about 6,000 communities have already abandoned the practice of FGM in countries such as Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea and Somalia.

The campaign to eliminate FGM is a delicate one: it does not work by condemning the practice since that will eventually alienate the women who have gone through the procedure. Rather, a successful approach is the one that embraces the entire community – chiefs, religious leaders, and the local government in a mutually respectful conversation focusing on health consequences of the procedure and emphasizing the human right issue of the tradition.

Other resources: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Female Genital Cutting (FGC): Individual Country Reports”. US State Department. Archived from the original on 2008-01-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20080110005001/http://www.state.gov/g/wi/rls/rep/crfgm/. Retrieved 2008-01-11. (Web archive)

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February 10, 2011January 3, 2013

Malaria: What is it and Why I Believe Our Generation Can Defeat it

By Kwabena Amponsah-Manager

What is Malaria?

Malaria is a tropical disease that is caused by the bite from the female Anopheles mosquito. The parasite is known as Plasmodium. Globally about 22 countries are plagued by malaria, most of them in the tropical regions and a few sub-tropical countries.

Symptoms of Malaria:

The symptoms of malaria include fever, anemia, chills, lost of appetite, general body weakness, nausea, convulsions and headache. The most characteristic symptom of malaria is the cycle of sudden chills followed by fever and sweating.

Occurrence:

There are more than 400 million cases of malaria annually. If not treated, the infection can be fatal, especially in infants, pregnant mothers and seniors. Malaria kills between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in sub-Saharan Africa, where 90% of malaria-related deaths occur.

The most serious form of the disease is caused by Plasmodium falciparum which is one of several species of the parasite that cause the disease. A milder form of the disease results from the species Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae.

Prevention and Treatment of Malaria:

The most effective means of preventing the disease is to prevent the bite from the mosquito. Insecticide treated mosquito nets and insect repellents are first line preventive measures. Mass preventive measures such as spraying insecticides inside houses and draining standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs are also employed by governments and institutions.

Currently there is no effective vaccine against malaria though a few are in development (GSK is a leader in this aspect). A variety of antimalarial medications are available. In the last 5 years, treatment of P. falciparum infections in endemic countries has been altered by the use of combinations of drugs containing an artemisinin derivative. Severe malaria is treated with intravenous or intramuscular quinine or, increasingly, the artemisinin derivative artesunate. Several drugs are also available to prevent malaria in travelers to malaria-endemic countries (prophylaxis). An example of prophylactic malaria drug is Malarone. Chloroquine used to be most commonly prescribed medicine against malaria but the parasite developed resistance to the drug. It is still being used to treat and prevent malaria though not as effective as it used to be. In places where drug resistance parasites have not yet been confirmed, such as Central America and parts of the Middle East, Chloroquine is still the drug of choice prevent and treat P. falciparum and P. vivax infections.

For reasons not fully understood, a number of diseases appear to provide some resistance to malaria. Notable ones include sickle cell disease, thalassaemias, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, Duffy antigens. Some people have red blood cells that lack proteins called Duffy antigens on their surface. Duffy antigens act as receptors for Plasmodium vivax merozoites, so people without Duffy antigens are resistant to infection from this parasite. Again, individuals who live in malaria-endemic regions acquire immunity to malaria through natural exposure to malaria parasites. In fact, naturally acquired immunity to falciparum malaria protects millions of people routinely exposed to Plasmodium falciparum infection from the disease.

Even though malaria has not received the global attention required for a killer of such profile, wealthy foundations, some private companies, and smart governments across the world are beginning to wake and make malaria a priority. However, there are still skeptics who doubt humans’ ability to eradicate malaria. Early November of 2010 a series of papers published in a respected scientific journal, the Lancet cast a gloomy cloud over any hope of dealing with malaria, at least in our lifetime. The papers concluded by urging governments, donor agencies and foundations to focus more on minimizing the prevalence of malaria and not on eradicating the killer.

Generally speaking, and not necessarily referring to the Lancet papers, considering mankind’s quest to conquer the universe, occupy Space, and pursue every kind of technology to make life easier and better, it would be intellectuality dishonest and morally criminal for humans to accept the theory that malaria is ineradicable.

A few decades ago, significant portion of North America was plagued with malaria in the same fashion as African countries are going through. In fact, it was not until the late 1890′s that scientists even learnt that the disease is caused by a parasite and that it is a mosquito that transmits the parasite from person to person. The assumption in those days was that malaria was caused by some environmental factors. The word malaria actually comes from the Italian “mala aria”, meaning “bad air” because it was generally believed that malaria was caused by breathing in bad or foul air and vapors emanating from swamps, marshy lands and latrines.

It is important to remember that 70 to 80 years ago, Americans traveling to the Eastern Tennessee Valleys had the same fear they now have when traveling to Togo or Ivory Coast because of malaria. With the creation of the U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 which established an organized malaria control program, the doubts began to fade. At the time, malaria affected 30 percent of the population in the region where the TVA was incorporated. After implementing aggressive research and control operations, the disease was essentially eradicated in the TVA region by 1947.

The US did not win the battle over malaria overnight. Efforts to control malaria became national focus as far back as the early 20th century during the occupation of American military in Cuba and the construction of the Panama Canal. It is recorded that malaria (and yellow fever) caused significant number of deaths among the workers of the canal. This triggered an aggressive program of malaria control which in 10 years had already made remarkable progress.

Malaria can be defeated, albeit, not overnight. The funding available for anti-malaria campaigns, and research and development is tiny compared to the challenges.

In the long run, I believe that prevention of malaria is the cost-effective route to take rather than treatment of the disease. However, for preventive measures to make the required impact, funding would have to be ramped up.

Current statistics show that in many of the malaria endemic countries, funding is less than US$1 per capita, and in fact it is less than US$0.5 in 16 malaria endemic countries, making up about 710 million people.

Much as I wanted this to be educational rather than political, I cannot help but state that malaria could be eradicated from the earth at negligible percentage of the cost of the Iraq war. It has been estimated by Economist Jeffrey Sachs that malaria can be controlled for US$3 billion in aid per year. (The cost of the Iraq war stands at $774 billion at the time of writing this article)

Our generation must stand trial for genocide for inaction on a problem that kills a child every 30-40 seconds. It is every 30-40 seconds!

Do Not Risk Your Life on The Health Black Market: Your Butt is Fine The Way It Looks

It appears common sense expired before the turn of the 20^th century but it’s not too late to revive it. The title ‘Doctor’ does not necessarily refer to someone who performs an open heart surgery. I am a doctor too, at least that what the wall hanger in my computer room says, even though unfortunately, no one calls me so, and I want to acknowledge that I’ve never given an injection.

It is time for all of us to apply some common sense to our health and lives. Black market health delivery is a big business and a grave killer of our time. Whenever a ‘so-called surgeon or doctor’ asks you to meet him or her in a hotel room or restaurant to obtain your procedure, you should be worried, very worried.

On Wednesday, it was reported that a 20-year old student from London, Ms Claudia Adusei died in a Philadelphia Hotel after receiving a silicone injection in her butts, presumably to enhance her curves from behind. Other news sources say that Claudia and friends traveled to the US in November 2010 to obtain a similar injection.

This time, things did not go as planned. According to the reports, 12 hours after the procedure, Ms. Adusei began complaining of chest pains and was rushed to the hospital where she later died.

A preliminary medical examination indicated that silicone from the injection had entered Adusei’s vascular system and ultimately stopped her heart.

It is sad to say that Ms. Adusei’s death should not have happened. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits the injection of liquid silicone for cosmetic purposes. Silicones, more precisely called polymerized siloxanes or polysiloxanes, have been approved for cosmetic use, such as breast augmentation, but its use as performed on Claudia Adusei is prohibited.

I know there is somebody reading this article who is thinking of following a similar procedure to look good for the summer beach party or the next classmate’s re-union. If you don’t like the way you look, there are certified practitioners who can assist you look the way you want to you if you have your money. The difference is that none of these professionals will ask to meet you in a hotel or shopping mall to receive the procedure. They belong to trade associations which control and monitor their practices and may have insurance coverage should something get out of hand.

It is important to know that these Black Market MDs are not certified healthcare professionals in the countries they operate. Some are Medical Students from other countries who have immigrated to the US, UK or other countries and are finding it difficult to get the required accreditation papers to practice. Again some of these doctors may have to repeat part of their medical school in the West, and pass a series of difficult and expensive exams which could take years.

They therefore take the short cut by offering services under the table. They resort to using a mishmash of professional and homemade equipments. In fact there are dentist in the black market using your normal dressing room mirrors and hand-held tools to explore the mouths of patients.

Do not risk your life on the health black market. By the way, your butt is fine the way it looks.

February 8, 2011February 11, 2011

February is Black History Month, We Look at Black First

Roselyn Payne Epps: First African-American elected national president of the American Medical Women’s Association in 1991

February is designated as Black History month. It is for the remembrance of the events in the history of the _{African Diaspora}. I therefore wanted to use this post to highlight the achievements of Blacks in the areas of Science & Medicine and Sports, dubbed Black First

1) Black First in Science and Medicine:

Roselyn Payne Epps was the first African-American elected national president of the American Medical Women’s Association in 1991.

Charles Henry Turner (1867-1931) became the first person to prove that insects can hear and distinguish pitch. He was a Zoologist and held a doctorate from the University of Chicago.

Joycelyn Elders became the first African-American and first woman US Surgeon General in 1993.

Frederick D. Gregory was the first African-American to pilot a spacecraft. In 1985 STS-51B/Spacelab-3 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 29th with Colonel Frederick D. Gregory as pilot.

2) Black First in Sports:

Althea Gibson – was the first African American to play in and win Wimbledon and the United States national tennis championship. She won both tournaments twice, in 1957 and 1958. In all, Gibson won 56 tournaments, including five Grand Slam singles events.
Don Barksdale – a basketball star at UCLA became the first African-American named consensus All-American in 1947.
Fritz Pollard — was the first African American to play in the NFL. Later in his career he became a coach and also continued to play running back. In 2005 he was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
National Basketball Association (NBA) – In the 1950-51 NBA season Chuck Cooper became the first black player to be drafted when he was chosen by Boston; Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton became the first to sign an NBA contract when he signed with New York, and Earl Lloyd became the first to play in an NBA regular-season game because the schedule had his Washington team opening one day before the others.
Willie O’Ree — was the first African American to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). He had a short career that was started in 1958 with the Boston Bruins. His career ended in 1961 and the next year that an African American played in the league was 1974 when Mike Marson was drafted by the Washington Capitals.

During this month, I will be presenting “Blacks First” in other areas.

February 7, 2011February 9, 2011

Female Circumcision or Better, Female Genital Mutilation: It’s not That Sexy

Since the last time we posted a news article from Uganda about female circumcision, there have been 63 visitors to this website from search engines (google, yahoo, bing) searching for information on the practice. I therefore decided to tackle it in detail.

What is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)?

Female circumcision embraces a host of procedures relating to the partial or or sometimes complete removal of the external female genitalia. Other terms that may be used to mean the same procedure include female genital cutting and female genital mutilation. Clitoridectomy is also used though it is normally used when the procedure specifically refers to the removal of the clitoris, which is almost analogous to the male circumcision. There are about five forms of classification of FGM depending on which parts of the genitalia are removed but such classification is beyond the scope of this essay.

The use of the term mutilation was adopted internationally by the WHO in 1991 after the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC) in Addis Ababa.

In adopting the term mutilation, the UN said

The extensive literature on the subject, the support of international organizations, and the emergence of local groups working against the continuation practices appear to suggest that an international consensus has been reached. The terminology used to refer to these surgeries has changed, and the clearly disapproving and powerfully evocative expression of “female genital mutilation” has now all but replaced the possibly inaccurate, but less value-laden term of “female circumcision”.

Why is FGM Practiced?

Different geographic regions undertake or embrace the manipulation of the female genital organs for diverse reason. These can be cultural, religious or other reasons. Some of the common reasons are listed below:

In some communities, FGM is often motivated by expectations of what is considered proper sexual behavior. When virginity is essential before marriage, FGM is believed to reduce a woman’s sexual desire, and hence help her avoid sex before marriage. Again, when the vaginal opening is covered or narrowed as happens in some forms of FGM, the women may often hold the fear of pain at the opening the vagina and may therefore stay away from ‘illegitimate’sex, especially when she’s scared of making that fear known to the man for fear of ridicule.
In some societies, what others refer to as FGM is the social convention. Therefore not conforming to it is rather the exception. In this case, even if a group that does not practice the exercise moves into a society that embrace it as a convention, the latter may tend to practice it as well.

Moreover, other societies consider FGM as a necessary part of raising a girl appropriately, and essential role in preparing her for maturity and marriage.

Then there are cases when FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and humility. These will imply the perception that girls are clean and fully women after removal of body parts that are considered “male” or “unclean”. It is even recorded that in some communities, girls who have not been circumcised will not be permitted to handle food or water that is meant for consumption by ‘normal people’.
The role in religion is propagating this practice is not straight forward. Some argue that FGM is a social custom, not a religious practice. However, in Muslim countries where FGM is practice, some do justify it by a controversial saying ascribed to the Prophet Mohammed that seem to favor sunna circumcision involving minor cutting of the clitoris. These sayings have not been authoritatively validated. In fact other muslim scholars see other passages in the Quran which imply that the sole purpose of the clitoris is to promote sexual pleasure and hence oppose FGM.

Age at which Procedure is Carried out:

The age the procedure is carried out varies from case to case. In some cases, it is carried out after birth while in other situation it is done some time during the first pregnancy. The majority of cases, however, occur between the ages of four and eight.

Where is FGM practiced?

Even though FGC has been reported in South American and part of Australia, it is predominantly practiced in Africa, parts of the Near East and Southeast Asia. Some literatures suggest the FGM actually started in Africa over 2000 years ago. In Africa 85% of FGM cases consist of Clitoridectomy and 15% of cases consist of infibulations (surgical closure of the labia majora (outer lips of the vulva) by sewing them together to partially seal the vagina, leaving only a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood.

Female circumcision being carried Out on a young girl

The disturbing aspect of the exercise is that the tools used by the ‘mid-wives’ to carry out the procedure usually are not sterilized before or after usage. After the part of the genitalia targeted is removed, in some cases, the child is stitched up and her legs are bound for up to 40 days. The tools used can include any of the following items; broken glass, a tin lid, razor blades, knives, scissors or any other sharp object.

In my next article, I will discuss the prevalence of female genital mutilation, the side effects of the procedure and the international efforts under way to curb the practice.

By the way, would you like to know my views on the procedure? The simple answer is I rather use the term ‘Mutilation’ than ‘Circumcision’. I trust and dream of the day where our societies will leave the clitoris alone.

References:

Infidel”, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 2007, pps 112-113,143, Free Press, ISBN 978-0-7432-8968-9
“Infibulation in the Horn of Africa”, Guy Pieters, M.D. and Albert B. Lowenfels, M.D., F.A.C.S., New York State Journal of Medicine, Volume 77, Number 6: Pages 729-31, April 1977. Hosted on Circumcision Information and Resource Pages, cirp.org. Retrieved on May 16, 2007.
Al-Qaradawi, Y. (2004, February 7). Islamic ruling on female circumcision. Retrieved March 29, 2006.
Green, Fiona J. (2005). “From clitoridectomies to ‘designer vaginas’: The medical construction of heteronormative female bodies and sexuality through female genital cutting”. Sexualities, Evolution & Gender 7: 153. doi:10.1080/14616660500200223.

February 6, 2011

Shut Up and Sip Your Coffee

Anytime I pick up a cup of coffee in the morning, one of those grandma’s myths about the serious health consequences of coffee crosses my mind. If you’re a pregnant woman, your fears may be several orders of magnitude greater than mine. For many years, coffee was believed to result in low birth weight and pre-term delivery. New findings, however, show that it appears to present no threat.

According to a Danish study, coffee does not have any negative effect on birth weight and does not increase the number of premature births.

The research carried out by a Danish University monitored 1,207 pregnant women all of whom regularly drank coffee during their term. On average they drank three cups a day.

Over the course of the last 20 weeks of pregnancy, half of them continued drinking coffee while the other half were offered a decaffeinated product instead.

The author of the report found no significant difference between the two groups. In the first group, 4.2% of the babies were born prematurely and 4.5% had low birth weight, compared with 5.2% and 4.7% respectively in the other group.

Please note that the Danish Interventioanal Study looked at birth weight and pre-term delivery and therefore does not explain all existing concerns about coffee and pregnancy. If your concern is birth weight or preterm delivery, focus on cigarette and alcohol.

In the meantime, until future studies uncover additional knowledge, just sip your coffee. Remember however, that as with anything, moderation is the watch word.