According to a study by CU Anschutz scientists, 90 percent of all pregnant people do not, in fact, get enough nutrients throughout their pregnancy from only their Nutrition.
As a result, they have no choice but to turn to supplements to make up the difference.
That being said, however, according to a recent study, 99.9 percent of the reasonably priced nutritional supplements out there lack the necessary amounts of vital micronutrients to correct this nutritional disparity.
Katherine Sauder, Ph.D., who led this new research, explains that “Nutrition is critical for a healthy mom and baby. Too little of any nutrients can cause pre-term birth, birth defects, low birthweight, and other health challenges. At the same time, too much of it could change how the baby’s body develops and the risk of having health problems in the future. That is why eating a balanced diet and picking a good prenatal vitamin is really important.”
2,450 pregnant women were tracked throughout the trial.
Data on the individuals’ diets and fluid intake during their pregnancies were examined initially by researchers.
The quantity of vitamin A, vitamin D, folic acid, calcium, iron, and omega 3 fatty acids that each of the participants was consuming through their diets alone was then calculated, along with the amount that was required for each participant to achieve the dietary requirements set out by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for pregnant women.
The researchers next compared over 20,000 additional nutrient-containing vitamins that are sold in the United States.
Sauder mentions that “Out of all the prenatal and overall vitamins analyzed, we found a single one that may potentially give pregnant patients the ideal amounts of the most important nutrients. However, the cost of this supplement monthly can be too high for some, and it also requires pregnant people to take 7 pills a day,” Sauder said.
The information found is rather important as it will hopefully be used by physicians, patients, and businesses alike, in order to enhance nutritional care for expectant parents, according to Sauder.
“This research will inform pregnant patients and their doctors about key nutrients that they may be missing in their diet and help with choosing prenatal vitamins that can provide all the nutrients that they need. Dietary supplement manufacturers can use these results to inform better dosing in their products as well,” she says.
Also, according to Sauder, the study’s findings underscore the continuous need for prenatal vitamin solutions that not only contain the right levels of essential nutrients but are also affordable, accessible and practical.
She claims that more studies on dietary nutrients are necessary to assist pregnant patients in including more of these essential nutrients in their everyday diets as well.