A new study suggests that 90 percent of women aren’t getting all of the critical nutrients recommended for healthy pregnancies and the welfare of their developing fetuses.
The nutrients most missed in the diets of pregnant women in the study of over 1,700 women were those found in meat and dairy products and included vitamins B12, B6, and D, folic acid, and riboflavin.
The study, published on Dec. 5 in PLoS Medicine, surveyed the diets of 1,729 pregnant women in the United Kingdom, Singapore, and New Zealand between the ages of 18 and 38. In addition to looking at the women’s diets, researchers took blood and plasma samples throughout their pregnancies to monitor their levels of vitamins and nutrients.
Researchers found that, among the women in the trial attempting to get pregnant, “significant proportions” of them tested low in folate, riboflavin, and vitamins B12 and D. By the end of their pregnancies, many also developed low vitamin B6 levels, even though a small portion of the test group had low vitamin B6 levels at the beginning of their pregnancies.
In the control group, researchers noted that taking an over-the-counter supplement at the start of pregnancy that included folate, riboflavin, and vitamins B6, B12, and D helped a pregnant woman maintain adequate micronutrient levels throughout her pregnancy.
Diet Vital for Healthy Pregnancy
A pregnant woman’s diet can be vital to a healthy pregnancy. Experts know that certain nutrients—the building blocks we need to function and grow—are needed more, and in greater quantity, for a pregnant woman.
Folic acid and vitamin D, two of the nutrients cited in this study, are two examples of nutrients needed during pregnancy, along with calcium and iron. Folic acid, a type of B vitamin, can help prevent birth defects in a growing fetus’ brain, spine, and spinal cord. The daily recommended amount of folic acid a pregnant woman should get is 400 micrograms (mcg) per day. Good sources of folic acid include beans, peanuts, dark green leafy vegetables, liver, aquatic foods, and eggs.
Vitamin D works with calcium to build a developing fetus’ bones and teeth. Whether pregnant or not, women should aim to consume 600 international units (IU) per day. The sun is the most common source of vitamin D, but many foods are rich in vitamin D, including egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver.
The fact that these nutrients are most often found in animal products concerned the lead scientists, who hail from the University of Southampton in the UK, as more people are turning to plant-based diets.
“The finding of significant prevalences of vitamin insufficiencies in women living in high-income countries who are attempting to become pregnant is a serious concern,” researchers wrote in the paper. “The high prevalence of vitamin insufficiencies and increasing move toward plant-based diets, which lack vitamin B12 and are low in other micronutrients, is likely to result in more women choosing over-the-counter supplements.”
Prenatal vitamins are well-known to many pregnant women. They are so popular that the prenatal vitamin market is worth $522 million in the United States alone. Prenatal vitamins are marketed to pregnant women as helping to close the nutrient gap that can occur during pregnancy.
The American Pregnancy Association recommends that pregnant women or women thinking about becoming pregnant speak with their health care physician about the prenatal supplement they are taking. Or, if you are unsure about which prenatal vitamin to take, ask your physician about recommendations based on your blood work and nutritional needs.