Study Suggests Pregnant Women Do Not Need Prenatal Multivitamins.

reports on a study published on Monday in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin that suggests prenatal multivitamins do not make a difference in preventing birth complications. The study “found no clear evidence that vitamin C or E supplements helped prevent stillbirth, low birthweight, preterm birth or pre-eclampsia” and that vitamin A might be harmful to pregnancy while iron may cause side effects such as constipation. The researchers concluded that prenatal vitamins may be an “unnecessary expense” and that “Pregnant women may be vulnerable to messages about giving their baby the best start in life, regardless of cost,” despite a lack of “evidence of improvement in child or maternal outcomes.” LiveScience (7/11, Blaszczak-Boxe) reports that the study’s research recommend focusing on improving overall diet and taking folic acid and vitamin D as opposed to a prenatal multivitamin. https://www.statnews.com/2016/07/11/prenatal-supplement-unnecessary/