Southampton Southampton, December 31st (The Talk) Our bodies need many important vitamins and minerals to function properly. For example, B vitamins are essential for our daily functions, including energy levels, cellular health, and nerve function.
These vitamins become even more important when a mother is pregnant, as low levels of some vitamins (such as folic acid, also known as vitamin B9) are linked to poor health outcomes for the baby during pregnancy and after birth.
Since our body only produces these micronutrients in small quantities (if at all), we mostly get them through food. However, our latest survey found that most pregnant women are deficient in many important vitamins, affecting not only their own health but that of their babies too.
We conducted a large study of over 1,700 women aged 18 to 38 in the UK, Singapore and New Zealand. We examined her health before, during and after pregnancy.
Before pregnancy, we found that nine out of ten women had low levels of important vitamins in their blood, including folic acid, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. These vitamins are needed to support the mother's health during pregnancy and are important for development of the fetus. unborn child.
For the remainder of the study, we randomly assigned participants to two different groups. One group received standard pregnancy vitamin supplements, including folic acid. The other group received “fortified” supplements containing folic acid, riboflavin, vitamins B6, B12 and D. Fortified nutritional supplements contain vitamins that you can buy in pharmacies and supermarkets without a prescription.
Both groups took the supplement daily from the time they attempted to conceive and throughout the pregnancy. You stop taking it after birth.
We found that adding supplements helped improve blood vitamin levels and reduce the occurrence of vitamin deficiencies during pregnancy, especially when it comes to riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin D. Standard supplements increase folic acid levels but may worsen other vitamin levels during pregnancy leading to increased requirements during pregnancy.
Riboflavin is important during pregnancy because low levels lead to low blood counts and a higher risk of anemia.
As for vitamin B6, the group taking standard supplements had lower vitamin B6 levels in late pregnancy, meaning they may have been vitamin B6 deficient. Previous research suggests that vitamin B6 may relieve pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting.
In both groups, we observed a decrease in homocysteine levels, which was particularly noticeable in subjects taking advanced nutritional supplements. Low homocysteine levels are actually a good thing because they indicate a low likelihood of a vitamin deficiency. Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with several pregnancy complications, including early miscarriage and preeclampsia.
The increase in the benefits of supplements on participants' vitamin B12 levels continued six months after the baby was born. This may be important for the mother's ability to provide her baby with vitamin B12 while breastfeeding. B12 supports brain development and growth in children.
Important micronutrients Although our study included women from three different countries and ethnic backgrounds, it only included a small number of black Indian American women. This means that the results obtained may not reflect the experiences of women in certain ethnic groups. It is important for future research to examine vitamin levels in these ethnic groups.
The specific benefits of high vitamin levels need to be further investigated in future studies. However, based on previous research, we can assume that supplements provide additional benefits.
For example, our previous research has shown that women who took the same advanced nutritional supplement had a lower rate of preterm birth and a lower risk of severe postpartum bleeding.
Folic acid is also known to be important during pregnancy as it can help prevent serious defects in the developing baby's brain and spine. We recommend taking folic acid supplements before conception and in early pregnancy.
However, many pregnancies are unplanned and many women do not take folic acid supplements early in pregnancy. For this reason, almost 80 countries have introduced mandatory fortification of staple foods. However, many experts believe that food fortification may not be enough for pregnant women, which is why supplementation remains important.
Taking vitamin D supplements before and during pregnancy may also provide benefits, including reducing the baby's risk of developing atopic eczema (a condition that causes itchy, cracked, and painful patches of skin) and improving bone health children.
Overall, our research shows that most women in high-income countries do not get enough important vitamins from their diet before pregnancy. Many of these vitamins are important for the baby's development in the womb.
Although some of these vitamins are found in meat and dairy products, it is clear that most women still do not get enough of them, regardless of their diet. As more people choose to eat plant-based foods, better advice on vitamin-rich foods is needed. Many women may need to start taking supplements to ensure that they and their babies are getting the vitamins they need. (speaks) GRS GRS
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated source.)