Pregnancy supplements do not improve the mother’s or the baby’s health, a new study has found. Women who take these prenatal mineral supplements and multivitamins could be wasting both their time and money.
The researchers said that the marketing of these products seems to lack evidence in terms of health improvements for both mother and child. Expecting mothers could be “vulnerable to messages” in their goal to give their child the best possible start in life regardless of the price tag. For instance, people spend about £15 ($19.90) monthly for pregnancy supplements.
“The only supplements recommended for all women during pregnancy are folic acid and vitamin D, which are available at relatively low cost,” the researchers said.
According to the review, the prenatal supplements are popular among expecting mothers because the deficiency in key nutrients during pregnancy has been associated with conditions such as restricted fetal growth, pre-eclampsia, skeletal deformity, neural tube defects and low birth weight.
The prenatal supplements often include over 20 vitamins and minerals such as folic acid, magnesium, iodine, iron, zinc, copper and selenium. These also contain vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D, E and K.
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