For many years Dr. Wentz, Dr. McNamara, Dr. Strand, Dr. Woods and others in the supplement industry, have stated that prenatal vitamins don't contain sufficient levels of specific nutrients to benefit the baby.

Here, right from the Pediatric Journal, is information that we need to share with mothers to be, as well as those who are at an age to conceive. We have been on a steep learning curve regarding the multiple benefits of vitamin D, and at much higher levels than was previously considered sufficient. Notice the bottom line in the abstract below, highlighted in red, " prenatal vitamins might not contain eough Vitamin D to ensure replete status at the time of birth."

The levels of Vitamin D have been boosted in the Essentials, wouldn't this be an excellent time to recommend them to Ob/Gyns and their patients?

In health,

Joan E. Baumann
Database Administrator
http://database.nutrisearch.ca/nutrisearch/index
Proving the Science of Nutrition!


Pediatrics. 2010 Mar 22. [Epub ahead of print]

Widespread Vitamin D Deficiency in Urban Massachusetts Newborns and Their Mothers.

Merewood A, Mehta SD, Grossman X, Chen TC, Mathieu JS, Holick MF, Bauchner H.Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts;

Objective: To determine vitamin D status and associated factors in a cohort of newly delivered infants and their mothers in Boston, Massachusetts. Patients and Methods: Enrollment in this cross-sectional study took place from 2005 to 2007 in an urban Boston teaching hospital with 2500 births per year. A questionnaire and medical-record data were used to identify variables that are potentially associated with vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] <>/=35 (aOR: 2.78 [95% CI: 1.18-6.55]). Maternal prenatal-vitamin use throughout the second and third trimesters was protective against infant deficiency (aOR: 0.30 [95% CI: 0.16-0.56]). Similarly, prenatal-vitamin use of >/=5 times per week in the third trimester was protective for mothers (aOR: 0.37 [95% CI: 0.20-0.69]). Despite this, >30% of the women who took prenatal vitamins were still vitamin D deficient at the time of birth. Conclusions: A high proportion of infants and their mothers in New England were vitamin D deficient. Prenatal vitamins may not contain enough vitamin D to ensure replete status at the time of birth