Incorrect dosage during pregnancy

Pregnant women often dose vitamins and minerals incorrectly. This was the result of a survey of the Technical University of Munich.

17.01.2011

Pregnant women are increasingly taking so-called nutritional supplements to provide the unborn child with sufficient nutrients. However, many pregnant women often take drugs incorrectly, as a Munich study found. In part, the funds are either taken too late or the dosages are far too high. More than 90 percent of women took supplements during the course of pregnancy.

97 percent of women take supplements
For the study, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) interviewed a total of 522 women in the first three days after the birth of the child. 97 percent of respondents said they took at least one supplement during pregnancy. Two-thirds of women said they had already consumed supplemental nutrients before conception.

Many dose over
The doses taken, however, differed significantly. The study participants took between 0.2 and 5 milligrams of folic acid per day. However, gynecologists recommend a daily intake of 0.4 milligrams. Depending on the circumstances, this amount of folic acid should be administered as early as four weeks before a possible pregnancy. About one third of women followed this recommendation. Folic acid should be taken before pregnancy to reduce the risk of a neural tube defect in the child.

Too high doses of iron supplements
In general, too high doses of iron supplements were taken. Here, the average intake varied between 4 and 600 milligrams per day. However, the German Nutrition Society recommends an iron consumption of about 30 milligrams per day, whereby it should be ensured that iron is also supplied by food. A particularly high proportion of iron is present in fish, whole grains, legumes and many vegetables. A blood test at the gynecologist can determine if there is an additional need for iron. If the iron dose is too high, the unborn child can even be injured, as the researchers from Munich warned. Three quarters of women also took magnesium. Here, however, according to the scientists, a medical benefit for child and mother has not been proven. (Sb)

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Image: SI-Medien Gestaltung - I. Scharfschwerdt, TRIER