Moms and Multivitamins
Throwing a Wide Net
Pregnant women who use multivitamins daily may already be taking good care of the next generation.
In a study from the Harvard School of Public Health, researchers divided nearly 8,500 pregnant women into two groups: one group received a daily multivitamin and one group received a placebo. The intervention period lasted from the time of their enrollment (12 to 27 weeks after conception) to six weeks after birth.
Results showed that multivitamin use was associated with a significantly reduced risk of low birth weight, which can contribute to infant mortality, developmental disabilities, and a greater risk of chronic illnesses throughout life.
Another recent study shows more specifically how multivitamin use among women of childbearing age may help prevent a dire condition in infant children.
Moms & multivitamins
About one in every 20,000 children under the age of six develops a brain tumor known as medulloblastoma. A similar tumor type – primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) – may occur in the brain as well as the central nervous system.
In 1993, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found evidence that the risk of these two tumors might be reduced when women take multivitamins during periconception, a period that runs from one month before conception to three months after conception.
STUDY PROFILE
* Researchers interviewed 315 mothers of children who developed PNET or medulloblastoma before age six
* 315 mothers of healthy children were chosen at random to answer the same interview questions about dietary supplement use
* Mothers of children with cases of the two tumors were found to be less likely to have used multivitamins during periconception compared to mothers of healthy children
The use of multivitamins after the periconception period had no statistical effect on medulloblastoma or PNET risk, suggesting that multivitamins – like folic acid supplements – should be recommended to all women of childbearing age, whether or not they’re planning to become pregnant.
Three multivitamin tips
Of course, these two studies aren’t the first to reveal benefits associated with daily multivitamin use.
A 1992 study, in which more than 145,000 subjects were examined over five years by American Cancer Society researchers, found that long term use of multivitamins was linked with a 30 percent reduced risk of colorectal cancer.
In 2003, researchers for a health care consulting firm analyzed more than 125 clinical studies to determine the extent of health benefits associated with multivitamin use, and the estimated savings in health care bills for people 65 and older. When protection from the risk of coronary artery disease was assessed in relation to demonstrated benefits to the immune system, researchers projected a five-year Medicare savings of more than $1.6 billion if all U.S. citizens over the age of 65 took a daily multivitamin.
So if you’re a senior, a woman of childbearing age, or anyone else who wants to make sure they’re getting all the healthy nutrients they need, what should you look for in a multivitamin? HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., offers these three tips:
* Avoid a multivitamin that’s a hard pill. Dr. Spreen: “There are a few (read that a FEW) pill forms that break down quickly, but they are rare. I always use capsule, powder or liquid forms whenever possible, as they at least guarantee that the individual gets what he swallows.”
* Avoid time-release vitamins. Dr. Spreen: “I don’t use time- release forms, as you’re then using a preparation deliberately designed not to give its contents to you. I prefer to have the individual be his own ‘time-releaser’ by multiple dosing throughout the day.”
* Avoid getting too much iron. Dr. Spreen: “Concerning multi- vitamin/mineral preparations there can be one problem, and that’s iron. It’s too high, in my opinion, for most everyone as it is a known generator of free radicals in biological systems (if it’s inorganic iron, as most are in supplements).”
