Fact: Study shows many pregnant women DON'T GET ENOUGH vitamins and minerals despite taking dietary supplements. A third of pregnant women TAKE TOO MUCH folic acid and iron.
A cross-sectional analysis of a of just over 1000 pregnant women considered representative of the average US population found that many women don't get enough vitamins and minerals despite 69% of them taking dietary supplements. It also found that around a third of pregnant women take too much folic acid and iron, in excess of the Tolerable Upper Limit (TUL), and that more than 40% of women are not meeting the minimum recommended dietary intake for magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin E.
While supplementation with folic acid and iron is important, this study highlights the need to review dietary supplements that contain more than the recommended doses of some nutrients while not providing sufficient amounts of others.
Folate is one of the most important supplements recommended in pregnancy supplements and the recommended dose in Australia is around 400 to 500 micrograms per day for the majority of people. It is important to note that some people who are at higher risk of deficiency might require higher doses, but most people will benefit from taking folate supplements in this dosing range. Likewise, it is important not to overdose in excess of the recommended daily dose.
Source:
Bailey R, Pac S, Fulgoni V, Reidy K, Catalano P. Estimation of Total Usual Dietary Intakes of Pregnant Women in the United States. JAMA Network Open [Internet]. 2019;2(6):e195967. Available from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/