Prenatal Vitamins: Is Natural Better?

Updated: 10/23/98

A new landmark study suggests that pregnant women should ask for a prenatal vitamin supplement that contains natural vitamin E. According to this new research, the human placenta can deliver natural vitamin E to the fetus in much greater concentration (3.5 to one) than the synthetic supplement. Vitamin E helps protect the newborn from oxidative stress. Premature babies are usually low in vitamin E. Natural and synthetic vitamin E are not the same. Previous research has shown that natural vitamin E is better retained and more biologically active than synthetic. To identify the kind of vitamin E in a supplement, it is necessary to read the ingredients listed on the label. Natural vitamin E begins with "d," as in "d-alpha-tocopherol." The synthetic version begins with "dl" as in "dl-alpha-tocopherol." In this study, published in the March 1998 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION, researchers gave 15 mothers different amounts of vitamin E in a capsule that contained both the natural and synthetic forms of the vitamin five days before giving birth. The dosage given ranged from 15 to 300 international units. At delivery, the researchers found nearly twice the concentration of the natural vitamin E in the mothers' blood and nearly 3.5 times the amount of natural vitamin E in their placental cords than the synthetic vitamin E, regardless of the amount given. A previous study of men and non-pregnant women showed that natural vitamin E remained in organ tissues much longer than synthetic vitamin E. "Pregnant women, or women thinking about getting pregnant, should ask their physicians to prescribe a prenatal supplement with the natural form of vitamin E," the researcher said. "It might be harder to find and the physician might not understand the difference, but based on our study, it's well worth the extra effort for the well-being of their babies." Prenatal Folic Acid Surely everyone has heard of the importance of folic acid for pregnant women. However, researchers at the University of Maryland have noticed that many commonly prescribed prenatal vitamins do not dissolve well resulting in insufficient absorption of this nutrient. Of the preparations tested, two- thirds released less than 75 percent of the amount listed on the label. Steven Hoag, the author of the study, cautioned that these supplements may provide "inadequate" nutrition. Breastfeeding A study published in THE LANCET (July 19, 1997) concludes that breastfeeding may help protect children from developing diabetes later in life. The study was done on 720 Pima Indians, who for some reason are prone to diabetes. The paper indicates that non- insulin-dependant diabetes (Type II) was significantly lower among adults who had been breastfed for at least two months as babies. A UNICEF report (July 23, 1997) reveals that Thai babies are the least likely in Asia to be breastfed. Only four percent of Thai babies are breastfed, compared to about 44 percent in other developing countries. The report blames this sad state of affairs in Thailand on aggressive marketing by infant formula manufacturers. UNICEF stated that replacing infant formula with mother's milk could save 1.5 million lives a year. For more on nutrition and pregnancy, including the traditional use of herbs before, during and after pregnancy, visit this page: http://www.a-better-way.com/pregnant.html Please send E-mail to: joyful@best.com if you have any questions.