Are you pregnant and confused about the advice you’re being given? Well if you’ve heard the news recently that taking a multivit during pregnancy is a waste of time and money, just hang fire before you go throwing your tablets down the loo.
Contrary to the reports, there is plenty of evidence out there that ensuring optimal nutrient status for both expectant mums and their growing babies is of paramount importance during pregnancy. In fact in just March of this year, results of a major study carried out by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that taking a multivitamin every day during pregnancy was associated with a 55% reduction in risk of miscarriage - Study shows pregnancy multi may reduce risk of miscarriage
But nutrients are not and cannot behave like drugs. By ensuring optimal nourishment you are merely providing the optimal conditions for normal growth and development of the baby. The basis for a recent study suggests however that vitamin and mineral supplements must produce clinical effects before pregnant women should be encouraged to take them, which is clearly nonsensical.
The truth is that every single nutrient is important for a developing baby; and research now strongly indicates that a typical Western diet supplies less than adequate amounts of many essential vitamins and minerals, such as iodine, calcium, selenium, magnesium and iron. Of course if we all ate a wide variety of local, seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables grown in nutrient-rich soils, we’d stand a better chance but the reality is that we don’t. Common sense alone would suggest that it is prudent to top up with a good quality multi.
