Why trips to the bathroom increase during pregnancy
Q. I am five months pregnant, and my bladder habits have changed dramatically. I realize that there is a developing child occupying the area in which my bladder lies, but I wanted to know how the function of the kidneys changes during pregnancy.
J.O., Charlotte, N.C.
A. Our blood carries nutrients all over the body, but it also provides a pathway by which metabolic wastes are picked up from the cells and eliminated. The kidneys serve as the blood's cleansing filter, and they are responsible for fine-tuning the concentrations of various substances in our bloodstream. They operate by sensing and regulating the concentrations in the blood.
During pregnancy, there is a marked increase in nutrient demand as well as an increased production of metabolic wastes as the baby develops. The body adapts to this increased workload by increasing its volume of blood, which takes place during the first trimester.
With more blood, the body can transport more nutrients and waste products. These physiological adaptations are designed to improve the body's ability to absorb and hold on to the nutrients consumed during pregnancy. They also help ensure that the concentration of waste products will not rise about the body's tolerances.
There is a need for a good fluid intake during pregnancy to keep things flowing through your system. Combine this with the fact that a developing fetus tends to push down on the space occupied by the bladder, and it's no wonder that trips to the bathroom become such a common occurrence.
Q. Some people in my dorm have been encouraging me to take guarana pills for alertness, better concentration and faster learning. I don't know if it's true, because I had heard that guarana is also used as a cure for impotence. What are your thoughts about these pills?
P.D., Jacksonville, Fla.
A. Guarana comes from the seeds of the South American shrub with the same name. The effects you mention relating to alertness and concentration have to with the substance named guaranine, known by its more common name: caffeine.
On a weight basis there is more caffeine in guarana than there is in the coffee bean, the kola nut, mate or cacao (cocoa). There is no standard concentration of caffeine in the guarana extracts used in dietary supplements. Check the label or check with the manufacturer to see how many milligrams of caffeine there are in a serving of any guarana-containing product.
There is no support, at least none that I could locate, regarding guarana as a treatment for impotence.
Q. Is there a health difference between steel-cut oatmeal and longer-cooking oatmeal? Does the preparation make a health difference, too? I prepare mine the smooth way by putting both oatmeal and water in at the same time and then cooking.
O.M., via e-mail
A. There is no nutrition-composition difference between steel-cut and traditional long-cooking oatmeal. The same goes for quick-cook oats. It is the cut of the oats and the speed in which they cook, not the oatmeal itself, that are different.
One-half cup of the dry oats in any of those cuts will contain about 3 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein, 27 grams of carbohydrate with 4 grams of fiber, and no sodium. Your method of preparation sounds fine.