Four in 10 mothers 'need vitamin pills'
By Celia Hall, Medical Editor

Source: http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/12/nvit12.xml

Four out of 10 women need to supplement their diets with vitamins if they plan to have a baby, the Royal College of Midwives was told yesterday.

Dr Andrew Shennan, professor of obstetrics at St Thomas' Hospital in London, said that the importance of good nutrition for mothers and its effect on their babies had been known for more than 60 years.

"In an ideal world, a healthy balanced diet should provide pregnant women and their developing babies with all the nutrients required for optimum health," he said.

"But many mums-to-be who take care to eat healthily frequently fight sickness, nausea, heartburn and exhaustion, which reduces their appetite.

"Furthermore, we know that 40 per cent of women have an unhealthy diet prior to pregnancy. It is clear that many women need to top up their essential nutrients."

Speaking to the midwives' annual conference in Harrogate, Dr Shennan also mentioned previous findings that supplements of vitamins C and E might help women at risk of pre-eclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition that affects up to 10 per cent of pregnancies.

Dr Shennan is working with the World Health Organisation on a follow-up study he believes will further endorse the importance of vitamin supplements.

He said: "Conditions such as pre-eclampsia are extremely hard to identify. . . micronutrient supplementation may be a way of reducing its impact, possibly in all women."

According to Dr Shennan, pregnant women or those planning to have a baby should take multivitamins and folic acid as well as eating a healthy diet.