After a study published earlier this month showed that vitamin C intake might not cut the risk of pre-eclampsia, another study has given a good example of why it's still important to take your prenatal vitamins. A Telegraph article reports that researchers in New Zealand have found that taking multivitamins reduced the risk that women would give birth to an underweight baby -- and low birth weight is a risk factor for several health complications in newborns.
Researchers followed 149 women from early pregnancy, checking their levels of several vital nutrients and then offering half a special prenatal vitamin designed to correct nutrient deficiencies. The women had high rates of vitamin D, iron, and thiamin deficiency. Those who took the supplements had better rates of correction of nutrient deficiencies and were 50% less likely to give birth to a baby that was underweight for gestational age.
Obviously this study shows no major surprises. Doctors recommend that women try to take a prenatal vitamin with adequate levels of folate and other nutrients throughout early pregnancy and ideally even before conception when possible.
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