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

Pregnant women risk gaining too much weight.

Many a mom-to-be expects to eat enough for two, thanks to the enduring lore of voracious appetites and powerful cravings of pregnant women. This pervasive thinking often leads to overindulging and excessive weight gain. Yet studies over the last few years show that gaining too much in pregnancy is the greatest contribution to the rising rate of childhood obesity as well as to a growing list of pregnancy complications. The question is: What is too much? The current recommendations for weight gain, developed in 1990 and based on even earlier studies, appear to be set too high. A 2007 study demonstrated that children born to women that met or exceeded these guidelines were about four times more likely to be overweight or obese by their third birthday and also tended to have higher blood pressure than those whose mothers gained less weight. In fact, maternal weight gain during pregnancy had a greater effect on whether a toddler was obese than other known risk factors such as how much television the child watched, how much fast food or sweetened drinks he consumed, and even his genes. Eating excessive calories during the first trimester, when the developing fetus really doesn’t need much energy, can lead to early complications. Most women should try to have minimal weight gain (no more than four pounds) during their first trimester. Set a target weight that is about 10 pounds lower than recommended and monitor your weight (without obsessing over it) throughout your pregnancy. If you’re gaining too much, speak to your doctor or a nutritionist about how to gain less without dieting. You and your child will both benefit from your efforts.