Many people have low amounts(1) of iron(2) in their blood(3). But pregnant women(4) need extra iron for their own(5) health(6) and their baby’s health. Iron is important to the development(7) of a baby’s brain(8) and central nervous system.
In poor countries(9), however(10), providing(11) all pregnant women with iron supplements can be(12) a financial issue(13). Some experts(14) say giving supplements to babies after they are born(15) is enough(16).
Someone who disagrees(17) is Parul Christian, a nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Maryland. She and other scientists have been doing research(18) in Nepal. She says their latest findings(19) should settle(20) any question about the value of making sure(21) every pregnant woman receives iron supplements.
Iron is a micronutrient. Micronutrients are important substances that are found(22) in small amounts in foods. The researchers first completed a study among(23) poor women in Nepal ten years ago. During(24) pregnancy(25) some of the women received supplements containing iron and another micronutrient, folic acid.Ms.
Christian says that study showed the supplements could improve(26) child survival(27). Now the children are older(28). The researchers returned to Nepal and tested their neurological development. They found improved abilities among those whose(29) mothers had received iron and folic acid during pregnancy and for three months after.
Another new study looks at levels(30) of vitamin D in babies. It says newborns(31) with the lowest(32) levels were twice as likely(33) to develop(34) respiratory infections as those with normal levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps build strong bones(35) and strengthens(36) the body’s defenses against disease(37).
The vitamin is commonly(38) added to(39) cow’s milk(40) and also found in supplements. Vitamin D is called the sunshine(41)
vitamin. The body naturally produces it from sunlight. Carlos Camargo
from
Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts and other researchers did
the study. It followed(42) more than nine hundred children in New Zealand until(43) they were five years old. Dr. Camargo said the problem of vitamin D deficiency is not limited to countries with the least(44) sun. There are low levels of vitamin D in people living in areas where there is a lot of sun. This is because people are spending more time(45) indoors(46).
For VOA Special English I’m Alex Villarreal. You can find more Health
Reports at our website, voaspecialenglish.com. And you can find us on
Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.
VOCABULARY
1. low amounts = pequenas quantidades 2. iron = ferro 3. blood = sangue 4. pregnant women = mulheres grávidas 5. own = próprio(a) 6. health = saúde 7. development = desenvolvimento 8. brain = cérebro 9. poor countries = países pobres 10. however = contudo 11. providing = fornecer 12. can be = pode ser 13. financial issue = questão financeira 14. experts = especialistas 15. born = nascer 16. enough = suficiente 17. disagrees = discorda 18. have been doing research = vêm fazendo pesquisa 19. latest findings = ultimas descobertas 20. settle = resolver 21. making sure = certificar-se de que 22. found = encontrado 23. among = entre (mais de duas coisas) 24. During = durante 25. Pregnancy = gravidez 26. could improve = poderia melhorar 27. child survival = sobrevivência de crianças 28. older = mais velho(a) 29. whose = cujo(a) 30. levels = níveis 31. newborns = recém nascidos 32. the lowest = os mais baixos(as) 33. twice as likely = duas vezes mais provavel de 34. develop = desenvolver 35. build strong bones = construir ossos fortes 36. strengthens = fortalice 37. against disease = contra doenças 38. commonly = comumente 39. added to = adicionado a 40. cow's milk = leite de vaca 41. sunshine = brilho do sol 42. followed = acompanhou 43. until = até 44. the least = o menos 45. spending more time = passando mais tempo 46. indoors = dentro de casa