Prenatal Vitamins and the FDA

Taking a prenatal vitamin as soon as you know you’re pregnant (or even better, while you’re trying to get pregnant) is one of the most important steps you can take for the health of your baby. You probably know that taking a prenatal vitamin containing folic acid will reduce their child’s risk of various birth defects, especially those of the spine, heart and face. A recent study found that it may also prevent the most common types of childhood cancers including leukemia and brain tumors. But it’s also important that you take a high quality vitamin that contains nothing harmful, and for that reason, I’ve always recommended taking a prescription prenatal vitamin.

But that may change. Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed new standards regarding the purity and the contents of supplements. Manufacturers will have to ensure that their supplements are free of toxins and that a product contains exactly what the label claims. This is a great step towards greater regulation of the multi-billion dollar supplement industry. The FDA will have the power to oversee manufacturing plants and do regular quality testing, but the ruling won’t be fully enforced until 2010. Until then, I still recommend that you take a prescription prenatal vitamin, or if you choose to take an over-the-counter supplement, I recommend you subscribe to Consumer Lab , an independent testing agency that rates supplements for purity and quality. Be sure to speak to your physician about any other supplements you’re taking while pregnant. With a few exceptions, I advise pregnant women to stay away from over-the-counter supplements altogether because of these purity concerns and because most ingredients have not been well studied