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New Study Links Multivitamins and Birth Weight
June 11th, 2009
According to a study published on Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, women who take multivitamins during pregnancy are less likely to deliver babies with low birth weight.
Researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital found “a significant reduction in the risk of low birth weight among infants born to women who received multimicronutrients during pregnancy compared with placebo or iron–folic acid supplementation. Translation? Iron and folic acid supplements alone are not enough.
While researchers admit that further study is required in order to answer some key questions, they did have a recommendation for the World Health Organization’s current policy on prenatal vitamins:
The current strategy recommended by the World Health Organization of providing only iron–folic acid supplementation to pregnant women needs to be challenged in light of the evidence from our review. The education of women of childbearing age on the importance of adequate nutrition for the improvement of pregnancy outcomes should be a priority. Proper advice regarding the use of micronutrients and the elimination of fears and myths regarding their use should be considered.
We know that proper nutrition is extremely important during pregnancy, but in order to support a growing fetus, women need to be conscious about their diets and the amount of vitamins that they’re getting every day. For more on this topic, check out:
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