What are Healthy Weight Loss Tips? | Healthy Diet for Weigh Loss | Fast Weight Loss Tips and Diet

This is one of the most difficult things to do. It is just too convenient to keep postponing your weight loss plan. You must understand that no one else can or will do it for you. Get started, as soon as you can.You have to lose some of what you’ve grown accustomed to and add some items that may be new to you. Here’s some quick weight loss tips that experts recommend to promote weight loss.With regard EO fat, the research is clear.Diets too high in fat promote overweight and obesity.

You should strive to consume no more than 25 percent of your calories from fat and that fat should the non saturated type.Numerous studies have linked table sugar to increased calorie consumption. While sugar doesn’t do as much dietary damage as fat, you’ll find that when you eat sweets, you simply want to eat more of everything. Not only that, but sugar also makes your body excrete chromium, and chromium is a mineral that helps your body build calorie-burning lean tissue – so you want to keep your chromium levels up.

It’s true what they say all you need to do is watch what you eat, and expend more energy than you consume. It’s really that simple. You can quit reading this list now, you now know everything you need to know and didn’t need to fork over $500 for the privilege of me telling you the secret of losing weight. You don’t need to read a 4,000 page book, you don’t have to buy a tape series, you don’t need to stay up late at night to watch infomercials to understand this basic premise. It’s 100% true.

Fiber makes us feel full sooner and stays in our stomach longer than other substances we eat, slowing down our rate of digestion and keeping us feeling full longer. Due to its greater fiber content, a single serving of whole grain bread can be more filling than two servings of white bread. Fiber also moves fat through our digestive system faster so that less of it is absorbed.Refined grains like white rice and those used to make white bread and sugary breakfast cereals have had most of their fiber and nutrients stripped away. They turn into blood sugarso fast that, like sugar itself, they can cause a spike in our insulin level. This tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it.

Weight gain in teens is mainly thanks to a poor diet of junk food that is compounded by a more sedentary lifestyle than past generations had. The reason for this must fall fairly and squarely on the shoulders of aggressive advertisers pushing the perceived desire for a wealth of fast food outlets and the junk food they produce. Couple this with the march forward in technology and a lessening of parental control or the respect given to parents from most teens and you have a generation of teens that would rather spend all their free time riveted to a computer, laptop, games console etc than getting out in the fresh air to interact with their friends in sports and energetic games such as cycling, skating.

Every body is different. It stands to reason that everybody will lose weight differently. Even if you do the exact same things that I do, you won’t lose weight at the same rate. The key is in finding your triggers. Keep your goal in sight, and do whatever you have to do to meet that goal. When you start looking at someone else’s habits, you’re only going to become discouraged and quit without even realizing that it’s physically impossible to be anybody but yourself.

The Cancer Cure With Soursop Fruit | Soursop Kills The Cance Cells | Sour Sop Fruit Natural Treatmet For Cancer

The bark, leaves and roots of some species are used in folk medicines. Pharmaceutical research has found antifungal, bacteriostatic, antimalarial, and especially cytostatic capability of some chemical constituents of the leaves and bark. A large number of chemical compounds, including flavonoids, alkaloids and acetogenins, have been extracted from the seeds and many other parts of these plants. Flavonoids and alkaloids have shown antibacterial properties, and have been used for treatment of medical conditions, such as skin disease, intestinal worms and inflammation of the eye. Pharmaceutical products are currently in animal and human cell line trials. Acetogenins are thought to have anti HIV and anti cancer effects. A wide variety of products have been developed and are available for cancer treatment.

Efficacy of soursop fruit provides effek anti tumor and cancer is very strong, and medically proven cure all types of cancer. In addition to cure cancer, soursop fruit also acts as anti bacterial, anit mushrooms , effective against many types of parasites / worms, lowering high blood pressure, depression, stress, and normalize the nervous system back to a less well.Treatment can be done by way of chemotherapy is to kill cancer cells that are in our bodies. But you know, it is the fruit that has a function with chemotherapy even 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy, the soursop fruit.Soursop fruit has a slightly larger form, prickly skin soft, white flesh, and can be eaten directly or also in the juice. In brazil this fruit is known as Graviola, in Spain as Guanabana.

If the soursop provide such miraculous cure for cancer, why haven’t heard of it before?. The company which had done thorough research on this cure comes upon one stumbling block on its finishing phase. The cure was too natural and under federal law in America, governed by FDA, wasn’t patentable. The company then decided not to release its finding since it was definitely the were not able to profit from the result of the research.Luckily, however, there was one scientist from that very same research team whose heart was certainly wasn’t filled with all greed. Risking his career, he contacted another company dedicated to harvesting medical plants from the Amazon Rainforest and announced the discovery.

National Cancer Institute in 1976, which focused on soursop’s phytochemicals known as annonaceous acetogenins. Also, according to budubelacan.com, a study conducted by the Catholic University of South Korea found that soursop was 10,000 times more effective at killing colon cancer cells than chemotherapy. Since then, numerous other studies have been conducted on soursop as a possible cure for cancer, but nothing has been set in stone by the U.S. government. There is some speculation that the soursop fruit is being kept a secret from the public in fear that major drug companies will lose money, states budubelacan.com.

In a separate study, scientists have proven that a chemical found in the sour sop selectively killed colon cancer cells at 10,000 times the potency of Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug.Conventional healthcare professionals may regard such alternative medicine and claims as unproven and even harmful. Indeed there are some drawbacks in consuming sour sop. It is known to interact poorly with antidepressants, affect blood pressure and destroy good bacteria in the stomach.So it is wise to consume fruit juices, including sour sop juice, in moderation, especially those who are obese and diabetic.

Apple Juice Health Benefits | Health Benefits Of Apple Juice | Vitamins and Minerals In Apple Juice

The apple peel carries some of its nutritional value. If you chose not to juice the apple peel, then you will not receive the abundant source of vitamin A that the apple peel carries. It is always better to juice with the peel on so that you can enjoy all the nutrients the apple has to offer! You should also wash your apples before you juice them. This is because they are covered in a very thin layer of wax to help preserve the apple’s moisture. A good portion of the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. Also, as the apple ripens, the skin retains a lot of its nutrients and flavor.

Raw apple juice contains both soluble and insoluble fibers. Soluble fiber reduces your risk of heart disease by preventing buildup of cholesterol in your blood vessels. Insoluble fiber keeps your digestive system working properly and smoothly. Raw apple juice contains a substantial amount of vitamin A due to the juice from the apple peel. Vitamin A plays a particularly important role in your vision, and other many other bodily functions. Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant that is also found in raw apple juice. Since apples have natural sugars in them, raw apple juice can provide immediate energy.

Apples are also a good source of Vitamin A and since this important vitamin is found in the peel of the apple, it is always advisable to make apple juices with its peel on. Apple juice is also rich in Vitamin C content and other important nutrients, helping a person get rid of various kinds of ailments. Since apples are a good source of potassium, apple juices are considered helpful for people suffering from problems like arthritis and rheumatism.Allow a bit of time for your apples to ripen if they do not appear to be ripe enough. As the skin ripens, it is said to retain increasing amounts of nutrients, and the flavour will definitely improve.

Apple juice is excellent for young children because it is a delicious and nutritious drink that they should be more than happy to have. It is also an energy booster because of its natural sugar content, so is good for young children who are always on the go.The nutritional benefits of drinking apple juice can be enhanced further by mixing it with other nutrient rich juices such as carrot juice or celery juice. A daily portion of such a mixture will not only be a delicious pleasure, but will be of lasting nutritional value.

Health Benefits Of Apple Juice:

Due to the high amount of antioxidants found in apple juice, it may help reduce cholesterol levels.

Apple juice contains antioxidants, which may help prevent the body from developing various types of cancer, as well as heart disease.

Some scientific research shows that apple juice may help improve brain function and, ultimately, improve cognition due to this reason.

There are a variety of essential nutrients and vitamins
which may help protect the body from certain illnesses, such as the common cold.

As long as you drink it in moderation, it is believed that the antioxidants in apple juice may help promote weight loss.

Diabetes Can Stop With Healthy Diet | Diabetes Healthy Tips | Healthy Diet For Diabetes | The Diabetic Diet Tips

The foods recommended for a diabetes diet to control blood glucose are good for those with diabetes and everyone else. This means that you and your family can eat the same healthy foods at mealtime. However, for people with diabetes, the total amounts of carbohydrates consumed each day must be monitored carefully. Of the different components of nutrition carbohydrates, fats, and proteins carbohydrates have the greatest influence on blood sugar levels.

It will also help to regulate your weight. If you’re overweight it’s especially important to try and achieve and maintain a lower weight. Even small weight losses lead to surprisingly big reductions in the risk of diabetes and will also reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.Finding the balance between the amount of carbohydrates and fat is important. Cut down on the amount of fat you eat particularly saturated fats, as this type of fat is linked to heart disease.Eat regular meals based on starchy carbohydrate foods such as bread, pasta, chapattis, potatoes, yam, noodles, rice and cereals. Include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Diabetes experts suggest meal plans that are flexible and take your lifestyle and other health needs into account. A registered dietitian can help you design a meal plan. Limiting your use of alcohol, Eating less fat, Eating lots of whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables, Being careful about when and how many carbohydrates you eat,Eating often,Limiting sweets.Taking into account your lifestyle, your medication, your weight and any medical conditions you may have in addition to diabetes as well as your favorite foods, the dietitian will help you create a diet that will prevent complications of diabetes and still give you the pleasure you’ve always had in eating.

diabetes diet is to maintain normal blood glucose levels, it would be helpful to have reliable information on the effects of foods on blood glucose. For example, foods that are rich in carbohydrates, like breads, cereals, fruits, and vegetables break down into glucose during digestion, causing blood glucose to rise. However, scientists don’t know how each of these carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels. Research is also under way to learn whether foods with sugar raise blood glucose higher than foods with starch. Experts do know that cooked foods raise blood glucose higher than raw, unpeeled foods.

Your diet makes a huge difference!! Basically all you should eat mostly plant foods, cut back on refined carbs and sugary drinks, and choose healthy fats over unhealthy fats. Diet is part of it, but keeping regular meal and snack times also affects your blood sugar levels and will help to keep them more constant.Portion sizes matter. Even if you eat very healthy meals, if you eat too much you will gain weight, which is a factor in diabetes.Protein and fat available in the food are converted to glucose in the body. This glucose has some effect on the blood sugar level, which has to be taken care of. Furthermore, you needn’t have to eat only the bland boring diet. Instead, you can eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Hair Loss Can Stop With Coconut Oil | Coconut Oil For Hair Care | Hair Loss Tips With Coconut Oil

This oil can nourish each hair strand by penetrating deep into the hair shaft. It adds shine and softness to hair follicles and prevents hair breakage and dryness. Coconut oil adds strength and vitality to hair and is also known to have anti fungal and anti bacterial properties. Therefore, it can be used for common scalp problems and to heal insect bites and pimples of the scalp. It can also keep lice away from the scalp.

when the amount of hair lost grows higher than the normal hair fall that takes place due to the change in environment, increasing age or growth of new hairs, it is referred to as hair loss problem that needs special care. Improper or poor diet, exposure to a lot of chemicals or cosmetics, hormonal imbalance, stress, anxiety and mental tension are some causes of hair loss. coconut oil was one of the few oils that could actually penetrate hair and provide great conditioning. For that reason it’s better than many other oils both natural AND synthetic. So it may help keep your hair from breaking, which means you may be able to grow it longer.

Coconut oil is used for cooking purposes in various regions and has been found to be effective in maintaining the level of blood cholesterol. It can also help to control high blood pressure and diabetes. It can boost the immune system and ensure proper digestion and metabolism. Even people with heart diseases and kidney problems can benefit from the use of coconut oil. Coconut oil is rich in vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant, and protect the body from the damaging effects of free radicals.

coconut oil help to keep the hair shaft strong, therefore lessening the chances of breakage and damage so hair can grow longer. Coconut oil also locks onto the weaker parts of hair and strengthens the area, decreasing the chances of breakage. Breakage can impede the hair-growing process. If you have dry hair, coconut oil can be used as the perfect daily moisturizer. Simply put a small amount in the palms of your hands, rub together and apply to hair strands to keep hair moisturized between shampoos and conditioning treatments.

The temporary moisture benefits of coconut oil enable it to cling to weaker points along the hair shaft, decreasing the occurrence of hair breakage. By aiding in lessening hair breakage, the hair stands a better chance of reaching longer lengths. Coconut oil also moisturizes the scalp, which helps dead, dry skin cells from clogging the hair follicle, which can prevent the hair from growing any further. However, the oil does need to be washed from the hair because just as it helped prevent dead skin cells from clogging the hair follicle inhibiting hair growth, the oil itself can clog the follicle over time, producing the same outcome. Coconut oil best aids in promoting healthy hair growth in small amounts smoothed over the hair and scalp,

The World Cancer Day February 4th 2010 |4th February World Cancer Day | World Cancer Day 2010

Each year the world marks the international Cancer Day, which is being organized by the International Union against Cancer since 2005. The goal of this day is to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer.The doctors remind that the disease is curable if it is still in the first or second round. But in the third or forth rounds the doctors’ efforts are directed to keep the lives of the patients longer.There are 28 000 patients who have cancer in Armenian, the last records show. One of the causes of cancer is the wrong food with many spices.

Each year, over 12 million people receive a cancer diagnosis and 7.6 million die of the disease.The good news is that approximately 40% of cancers are potentially preventable. We invite you to join us in marking World Cancer Day on 4 February by promoting our exciting new campaign and spreading the message that cancer can be prevented too.Stop tobacco use and avoid exposure to second-hand smoke. Limit alcohol consumption. Avoid excessive sun exposure. Maintain a healthy weight, through eating healthily and exercising regularly. Protect against cancer causing infections

It is estimated that over 40% of all cancer can be prevented. However, dramatic increases in risk factors such as tobacco use and obesity are contributing to the rise in cancer rates, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. A rapidly changing global environment due to globalization of markets and urbanization is leading to rising consumption of processed foods high in fats, sugars and salt, as well as tobacco products; declining consumption of fruit and vegetables; and more sedentary activity levels. As a consequence the burden (incidence) of cancer and other chronic diseases is increasing. Other preventable risk factors include many environmental carcinogens and infections caused by Hepatitis B Virus and Human Papilloma Virus.

Recurring themes over the years focus on preventing cancer and raising the quality of life for cancer patients. World Cancer Day targets the public through global communications marking, and encourages policy makers to make cancer a political priority.There are different symbols that are used to help promote the fight against different types of cancers. For example, the pink ribbon is a global symbol of breast cancer awareness, while the orange ribbon is associated with child cancer awareness.

EGFR Gene Signature May Predict Prognosis and Guide Treatment in Lung Cancer

Oncogenically mutated epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR) is a validated therapeutic target for nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Researchers now report that they have identified a 93-gene signature that is significantly associated with EGFR mutations in NSCLC patients.

The study results suggest that the gene signature might provide “predictive value and biological insights” into EGFR inhibitor responses in lung adenocarcinomas, researchers told meeting attendees here at the American Association for Cancer Research-International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Prospects for Personalized Prevention and Therapy.

“The mutation signature may be able to help guide medical treatment decisions in the future and provide prognostic information beyond just EGFR mutation status,” said lead author Pierre Saintigny, MD, PhD, a research scientist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, in an interview.

The signature also correlated with sensitivity to erlotinib and gefitinib, which target EGFR, he said, adding that it might also help identify patients who might benefit from EGFR-targeted treatments, regardless of their mutation status.

There is currently a great deal of interest in this field; clinical data have shown that erlotinib and gefitinib work best in NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations, but questions have been raised over the practicality of testing for these mutations in clinical practice, as reported recently by Medscape Oncology.

Testing of Lung Cancer Samples

In this study, Dr. Saintigny and colleagues evaluated messenger (m)RNA expression in 195 lung adenocarcinoma samples using several microarray platforms, and then conducted a similar analysis on 53 NSCLC cell lines. The tumor sets used for developing the EGFR-mutation signature came from the University of Hong Kong, the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The samples from M.D. Anderson were derived from the ongoing Biomarker-Integrated Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination (BATTLE I) trial.

The tumor samples used in the training set came primarily from patients with early stage I to II disease (78%), and just over half (57%) were former/current smokers. In all, 54% of the cohort had the EGFR mutation, and all patients were treatment-naive.

The researchers also examined gefitinib and erlotinib drug-response phenotypes in the NSCLC lines, and training and testing sets and cross-validation were used to test and evaluate the mRNA signature model.

The 93-gene signature was developed using the 3 training sets, and was consistently associated with EGFR mutations in different datasets. The validation study was conducted using 99 samples from patients with chemotherapy-refractory advanced-stage NSCLC who are participating in the BATTLE I trial.

Associated With Survival

The validation trial showed that the signature had an accuracy of 67%, which was significantly associated with EGFR mutations in an independent cohort (P = .014). The prediction accuracy of the signature was further analyzed with receiver operating characteristic curves and, for the NSCLC cell lines (53 samples), the area under the curve was 0.95 (P = 2.2e–06).

The gene signature was found to be associated with survival in a separate dataset of 442 early-stage adenocarcinomas (hazard ratio, 0.85; P = 3.73e–03). The researchers also found the gene sets associated with endocytosis and vesicle recycling to be upregulated in EGFR-mutant tumors, whereas mitotic-related genes were downregulated.

The BATTLE I trial is part of a set of studies that are examining the genetic profiles of individual tumors and then assigning therapies that offer the best benefits on the basis of the tumor’s unique characteristics. “The EGFR-mutation signature will be evaluated as a predictor of response in the BATTLE I trial,” said Dr. Saintigny, adding that they will be presenting those results later this year at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Shedding Light on Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help the Heart

Scientists think they have uncovered at least one of the reasons why omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart.

The more omega-3 that patients with coronary heart disease consumed, the slower their telomeres shrank. Telomeres are structures at the end of a chromosome that get shorter the more times a cell divides, making them a marker of biological age. “We’re certainly not saying that this is the reason for all the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but it is a new pathway linking omega-3 fatty acids to biological aging in these patients,” said study lead author Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

The findings are published in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“What they’re really saying is that there is quite an impact of omega-3s on cell support and cell functioning,” said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. “If you supplement with omega-3s or eat omega-3s, your cells stay healthier, your cells age less quickly.”

Said Farzaneh-Far: “Cardiologists have known for about 20 years that increased dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for patients with coronary artery disease, particularly those who have had a prior heart attack. It reduces the risk of subsequent heart attacks and death.”

But the reasons for that benefit have not been well defined, said John Bowman, an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. “We don’t know the exact cellular mechanisms,” he said.

Omega-3 fatty acids are plentiful in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna, according to the American Heart Association. For the new study, the researchers followed about 600 patients in the San Francisco Bay Area with coronary artery disease. Blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and telomere length were measured at the beginning of the study and again about five years later.

“That allowed us to measure the change in telomere length over five years and see if that bore any association with levels of omega-3 fatty acids at the beginning of the study,” Farzaneh-Far said.

And, indeed, there was a relationship. “We found that as blood levels of omega-3 went up, the rate at which telomeres shortened decreased,” Farzaneh-Far said. “To the extent that that is a marker of biological aging, the rate of biological aging went down.”

The findings don’t change current recommendations regarding omega-3 fatty acids or what people should be doing.

“The American Heart Association recommends that those with coronary heart disease get about a gram a day of omega-3 fatty acids,” said Farzaneh-Far. “Our study certainly doesn’t suggest any change in that.”

Dr. Melissa Tracy, medical director of cardiac rehabilitation at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said the new study gives “some additional support to the use of omega-3 fatty acids.” But, she noted, it’s unclear how far these findings could be extrapolated to other groups of people, such as those who don’t have coronary artery disease.

“There are other extraneous circumstances which can impact telomere length,” she said.

And, Tracy added, “we should try to do as much with our own bodies that we can. I am an advocate of proper diet, exercise, for optimizing your lifestyle, meaning reducing stress and getting enough sleep.”

Stem Cells Become Functioning Neurons in Mice

Transplanted neurons grown from embryonic stem cells were able to form proper brain connections in newborn mice, U.S. scientists report.

Researchers from Stanford Medical School say their study was the first to show that stem cells can be directed to become specific brain cells and to link correctly in the brain. The findings, they say, could help in efforts to develop new treatments for spinal cord injuries and nervous system diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease.The researchers focused on brain cells that transmit information from the brain’s cortex. Some of the cortical neurons are responsible for muscle control and are the ones lost or damaged in people with spinal cord injuries and ALS.

“These stem cell-derived neurons can grow nerve fibers between the brain’s cerebral cortex and the spinal cord, so this study confirms the use of stem cells for therapeutic goals,” the research team’s leader, James Weimann, said in a news release from the Society for Neuroscience.

In laboratory dishes, the researchers grew stem cells that were precursors to cortical neurons until the cells displayed many of the characteristics of mature neurons. The new neurons were then transplanted into the cortex of newborn mice, specifically into regions that control vision, touch and movement.

The transplanted neurons grew into the appropriate brain structures and avoided inappropriate areas, the researchers reported.

The study is in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

The scientists plan further research in adult animals and, eventually, humans.

Blood test tells fetal sex in early pregnancy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Normally, parents who want to know the sex of their baby before it’s born find out through ultrasound done in the second trimester. A blood test that can be done early in pregnancy is highly accurate at determining the sex of the fetus, however, a new study finds.

The test is important, write the authors of the study, because in some cases, there are medical reasons to determine fetal sex earlier. That has traditionally meant invasive tests, like amniocentesis, which carry a small risk of miscarriage.

Consequently, maternal blood tests that pick up certain markers of fetal sex have been developed and put into use in recent years. So far, research has shown the accuracy of these tests to vary widely, depending on the methods used.

In this latest study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers in the Netherlands found that the testing method used at their center was 100 percent accurate in determining fetal sex among nearly 200 pregnant women.

Part of what’s new about the findings is that they show the effectiveness of blood testing as it is done in routine practice — and not just in the research setting, Dr. Ellen van der Schoot, of Sanquin Research Amsterdam, told Reuters Health in an email. The study does not discuss costs, nor when the test might be available to the general public.

Still, the findings, according to van der Schoot and her colleagues, support using the tests in cases where fetal sex is important in detecting or managing certain inherited medical conditions.

For example, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic disorder that causes girls to develop abnormal external genitalia and male-like characteristics like a deep voice and excessive body hair.

It is possible, however, to treat the disorder with the steroid dexamethasone as soon as pregnancy is established, so knowing the fetal sex sooner is better than later.Similarly, fetal sex is key in genetic disorders linked to abnormalities in the X chromosome. These disorders — such as hemophilia and Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy — are almost always seen in boys rather than girls, because boys inherit only one X chromosome, from the mother. (Girls inherit an X chromosome from each

parent.)

In cases where a mother is known to carry an X-linked genetic defect, blood testing for fetal sex tells doctors whether further, invasive testing for the particular genetic disorder should be done. If the fetus is female, invasive tests can be avoided.

In the current study, van der Schoot and her colleagues looked at 201 pregnant women who had blood testing at their lab between 2003 and 2009. The test, done as early as the seventh week of pregnancy, determines fetal sex by looking for two genes found on the Y sex chromosome.

Only men carry the Y chromosome, so when these genes were found in a pregnant woman’s blood sample, the fetus was assumed to be male. When the test did not detect the genes, the mother’s blood was analyzed further to confirm that certain other fetal DNA was present; with that confirmation, the researchers concluded that the fetus was female.

Of the 201 women in this study, blood tests gave conclusive results to 189. In each case, that result turned out to be correct.

The test results also made a significant difference in how the pregnancies were managed from then on, according to van der Schoot and her colleagues. Among the 156 women who underwent testing because of the risk of an X-linked disorder, the results allowed 41 percent to avoid further, invasive procedures to test for the disorder.

In addition, 27 women who’d been taking steroids for possible CAH were able to stop, as the fetus was found to be male.

According to the researchers, the reliability of the blood tests means that invasive procedures are no longer necessary for determining fetal sex early in pregnancy. Since the introduction of such blood testing, there have been ethical concerns about couples seeking testing solely to find out the sex of the fetus early on — and possibly ending the pregnancy based on that information.

“These concerns are relevant,” van der Schoot said, “and we agree that the test should be applied carefully in a clinical setting upon medical indication.”