Prenatal Folic Acid

By now, everyone must know of the importance of folic acid in the diet of mothers-to-be. However, women taking prescription vitamins may be getting shortchanged. Researchers at the University of Maryland have noticed that such vitamins don't dissolve well. Of the preparations they tested, two-thirds released less than 75 percent of the amount listed on the label in standard one hour tests. The author of the study cautions that these supplements may provide "inadequate" nutrition.¹

1. Steven Hoag, University of Maryland.

Prenatal Calcium

A study of nearly 600 children sponsored by the World Health Organization concludes that the calcium intake of a mother during pregnancy can influence the blood pressure of her offspring. Systolic pressure was lower in older children whose mothers took two grams of calcium a day while pregnant, compared to those taking a placebo. The effect was especially noticeable in overweight children.⁸

8. British Medical Journal, August 2, 1997.

Hungry Mothers Have Weak Babies

Research in Gambia is illustrating how important prenatal nutrition is to children. In Gambia, the months of July through October are known as the "hungry season," when food is scarce but work is hard. Researchers found that children born at that time were up to 10 times more likely to die prematurely by the time they were young adults, mostly from infective disease. The study spanned over 40 years.¹²

12. Reuter, July 30, 1997.

Phenobarbital Lowers I.Q.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association1 reveals that males who were exposed to phenobarbital while still in their mothers' wombs show a seven percent decrease in intelligence as adults. Other prenatal factors decreasing I.Q. turn out to be maternal poverty and unwanted pregnancy, combining with the drug treatment to lower I.Q. by an average of 20 percent. It is estimated that there are 23 million Americans who were exposed to the drug in utero.

1. JAMA, November 15, 1995.