Increasingly, medical research is demonstrating that vitamins have a significant positive impact on infant health and development. The best-documented example is the link between folate deficiency and neural tube defects (NTD), which can result in severe deformities of the brain and spinal cord. This link is so well established that governments around the world have implemented campaigns aimed at educating women to ensure adequate intake of dietary folate, as found in green vegetables and supplements.
Recent clinical research suggests that during pregnancy, the use of a multivitamin that includes folate is associated with a reduction of all birth abnormalities by about 42%. Other studies have also found that women taking multivitamins during pregnancy can increase protection and reduce the risk of their baby's developing birth defects of the:
• Heart
• Face and mouth
• Limbs
• Urinary tract
Studies have also found that the babies of women who take multivitamins in early pregnancy have a lower incidence of premature birth ,low birth-weight and childhood brain tumours. Taking Nurture Pregnancy Multivitamins, which contain a daily supply of 500mcg of folate and 18 vitamins and minerals, can therefore offer more protection for both mother and baby than taking folate alone.
