RATIONALE AND BENEFITS OF MULTIVITAMINS SUPPLEMENTATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

Abstract

Insufficient supply of pregnant women with micronutrients leads to the development of a number of congenital malformations of the fetus. The consumption of vitamins and minerals in pregnant women in the Russian Federation does not reach recommended norms. The high incidence of combined deficiency of vitamins among pregnant women, the existence of vitamin functional interactions, are the basis for the multivitamins intake especially in low production of vitamin-enriched food of mass consumption. The simultaneous intake of vitamins is more effective than separate or isolated destination of each of them. Evidence exist that the multivitamins are more efficient than using folic acid and iron. Multivitamins supplementation during pregnancy improves the supply of vitamins and minerals of women, reduces the risk of birth defects and determines the longterm health of children. The main requirements for the multivitamins for pregnant are full composition of vitamins and minerals, the lack of which is detected most frequently in doses covering the increased needs of women.

Keywords

• multivitamin-mineral supplements
• pregnancy
• micronutrients deficiency
• congenital malformations