In the current study, the researchers evaluated the vision of 59 adolescents with a very low birth weight and 55 similar teens of normal birthweight.

Along with statistically significant impairments in vision among the teens who had very low birthweights, the researchers also found that this group had an increased risk of learning disabilities.

Of the 57 very low birthweight teens who underwent MRI examination, 17 had abnormal findings. The teens with abnormal MRI findings "had more pronounced visual and cognitive dysfunction," Hellgren's team reports. And of those with impaired vision, half had brain abnormalities and one third had learning disabilities.

SOURCE: Archives of Diseases in Childhood--Fetal and Neonatal Edition, July 2007.

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Low cholesterol diet improves blood flow in fetus

Last Updated: 2007-07-19 16:51:46 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Consuming a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet during pregnancy seems to have a beneficial effect on blood flow in the fetus, Norwegian researchers report.

Dr. Tore Henriksen, of the University of Oslo , and colleagues used a special ultrasound test to examine how the type of diet consumed during pregnancy affects circulation in the fetus. The study included 290 nonsmoking, pregnant women, between 21 and 38 years of age.

As dietary cholesterol consumption dropped, the blood in the fetus appeared to flow more smoothly, according to the report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Exactly how this occurs is unclear and requires further study, but the authors suggest that it may involve certain anti-inflammatory effects associated with a drop in LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol, in the mother.

SOURCE: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, June 2007.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.