Pregnancy vitamins are unnecessary for many pregnant women and also very expensive. They cost three to six times more than folic acid, the only supplement that is necessary. Yet many health care providers encourage its use, says consumer organization Test Aankoop.
Pregnancy vitamins are not necessary for pregnant women who eat a varied and balanced diet. With that, they have enough nutrients to meet the needs of their baby.
Still, many gynecologists, midwives or pharmacists recommend them, says Test Aankoop.
The consumer organization compared 32 compound preparations and concluded that they are three to six times more expensive than folic acid, the only supplement that is actually necessary for healthy pregnant women. For example, a folic acid supplement costs an average of 0.12 euro cents per day, while multivitamins cost on average between 0.43 and 0.79 euros per day, depending on the presence of fish oil.
Health professionals have an important role to play in distinguishing supplement marketing messages that may or may not provide a real benefit to their patients.
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The total costs can vary from 13.4 to 32.7 euros, depending on the intake of folic acid for 4 or 9 months. Multivitamins with fish oil cost 237 to 355.5 euros, over 10 or 15 months respectively. What’s more, of the 32 supplements, only 21 were found to have a correct dosage of folic acid. An overdose should be avoided as it can mask a deficiency of vitamin B12, which can lead to neurological complications.
According to Test Aankoop, one in three also did not have a notification number, although this is mandatory for the product category. “Health professionals have an important role to play in distinguishing marketing messages for supplements that may or may not provide a real benefit to their patients. They should stop automatically recommending these expensive products without checking whether they are really relevant in a specific case,” says Simon November, spokesperson for Test Aankoop.
Pregnancy vitamins are not necessary for pregnant women who eat a varied and balanced diet. This gives them enough nutrients to meet the needs of their baby. Nevertheless, many gynaecologists, midwives or pharmacists recommend them, says Test Aankoop. The consumer organization compared 32 compound preparations and concluded that they are three to six times more expensive than folic acid, the only supplement that is actually necessary for healthy pregnant women. For example, a folic acid supplement costs an average of 0.12 euro cents per day, while multivitamins cost on average between 0.43 and 0.79 euros per day, depending on the presence of fish oil. The total costs can vary from 13.4 to 32.7 euros, depending on the intake of folic acid for 4 or 9 months. Multivitamins with fish oil cost 237 to 355.5 euros, over 10 or 15 months respectively. What’s more, of the 32 supplements, only 21 were found to have a correct dosage of folic acid. An overdose should be avoided as it can mask a deficiency of vitamin B12, which can lead to neurological complications. According to Test Aankoop, one in three also did not have a notification number, although this is mandatory for the product category. “Health professionals have an important role to play in distinguishing marketing messages for supplements that may or may not provide a real benefit to their patients. They should stop automatically recommending these expensive products without checking whether they are really relevant in a specific case,” says Simon November, spokesperson for Test Aankoop.
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