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Study Reveals Prenatal Supplements Don’t Offer Enough Nutrition for Mothers and Babies

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Pregnant women need all the nutrition they can get. Doctors will prescribe supplements to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need during this important time of life.

But a new study reveals most prenatal supplements aren’t offering enough nutrition to meet the needs of both mother and child. Read on to find out what you need to know.

The Study

Researchers from the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus found that 90% of pregnant women don’t get adequate nutrition from their diet. They must use supplements to make up for deficits. But the study also found that most supplements that are available do not contain the nutrients that are necessary for making up for the imbalance.

The study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition yesterday, followed 2450 pregnant women analyzing what they ate and drank throughout their pregnancy. They determined how much they were getting of vital nutrients such as folic acid, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. They measured that against the Institute of Health (NIH) nutritional guidelines for how much of each nutrient pregnant women should be consuming each day.

They compared over 20,000 vitamins available in the United States today to determine which were up to the challenge.

The Results

The results showed that only one supplement offered enough nutrition to meet pregnant women’s needs. The study did not reveal which supplement that was. However, Katherine Sauder, Ph.D. deputy director of the LEAD Center and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and lead author of the study shared some information on the supplement, and it wasn’t very encouraging.

“Out of all the prenatal and general vitamins analyzed, we found only one that may potentially give pregnant patients the optimal amounts of the most important nutrients. But the monthly cost of this supplement can be too high for some people, and it requires pregnant people to take seven pills a day,” she said.

While the study brings negative news, it also means hope for the future.

“The research will inform pregnant patients and their doctors about key nutrients they may be missing in their diets and help them choose prenatal vitamins that can provide the nutrients they need. Dietary supplement manufacturers can also use these results to inform better dosing in their products.

She is hoping the study will emphasize the need for prenatal vitamins that are effective and low-cost. She also said more research is needed to help pregnant people get more key nutrients in their diets.

Saunders also stressed the importance of pregnant women getting the right amount of nutrients in their diets.

“Nutrition is critical for a healthy mom and healthy baby. Too little of certain nutrients can cause pre-term birth, low birth weight, birth defects, and other health challenges. At the same time, too much could change how the baby’s body develops and their risk of having health problems in the future. That’s why eating a balanced diet and choosing a good prenatal vitamin is so important.”

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A High Fruit, High Vegetable Diet Can Lower Miscarriage Risk

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Here’s another reason to eat more fruits and vegetables. It lowers the risk of miscarriage. This information is according to a University of Birmingham study that also reveals that seafood, dairy, eggs, and grain can contribute to full-term pregnancy.

The Research

The Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research team analyzed 20 studies that explored women’s eating habits in the months before and shortly after conception to see which foods were linked to lower and higher chances of a miscarriage.

The results, which were published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, suggest that a diet that’s rich in vegetables, fruit, dairy, seafood, grain, and eggs reduces miscarriage risk.

It backs up evidence that foods that are high in vitamins and minerals are essential for a healthy pregnancy.

Which Foods are Best?

So which foods are best for reducing miscarriage risk? Here are some statistics to consider:

  • A high intake of fruit reduces miscarriage risk by up to 61%
  • A high intake of vegetables reduces miscarriage risk by up to 41%
  • A high intake of dairy reduces miscarriage risk by up to 37%
  • A high intake of grain reduces miscarriage risk by up to 33%
  • A high intake of seafood and eggs reduces miscarriage risk by up to 19%

Researchers also looked at diets like the Mediterranean Diet and the Fertility Diet and could not find evidence that any of them increased or reduced miscarriage risk.

However, a healthy diet rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods and low in unhealthy foods may reduce miscarriage risk.

A highly processed food diet can double miscarriage risks.

The studies reviewed looked at the period before and during the first three months of pregnancy. It collected data on 63,838 healthy women of reproductive age with information on their diets gathered from food frequency questionnaires.

What the Experts are Saying

Yealin Chung, leader of the study, had this to say. “We strongly encourage couples to consider the importance of making positive lifestyle choices when planning for a family, and to continue with these healthy choices throughout their pregnancy and beyond. By knowing that positive lifestyle choices can make a significant difference in reducing the risk of miscarriage, couples can feel empowered to take charge of their health and the health of their baby.”  

Tommy’s midwife Juliette Ward also weighed in saying, “Advice on diet is one of the most-discussed subjects for us when talking with pregnant women and birthing people. We know that baby loss is very rarely the result of someone’s lifestyle choice, but many people want to know how to be as healthy as possible in pregnancy.

“Following a healthy diet, taking supplements like vitamin D and folic acid, exercise, and trying to lower stress are all things people can try to do, but there’s been a lack of clear evidence on the links between diet choices and miscarriage.”

The Tommy’s team acknowledges that more studies are needed in concluding whether diet and certain foods play a causal role in miscarriage. Research could also estimate how effective changes in diet can be in preventing miscarriage during conception and pregnancy. In the meantime, it never hurts to eat healthily.

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