Researchers found that higher levels of folate (found in some vegetables, fruits and cereals, and also known as vitamin B9, or folic acid) were linked with increased birth weights.
When researchers from Harvard and the Muhimbili College of Health Sciences in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania gave vitamins to 4,200 pregnant Tanzanian women they uncovered that the risks were about 20 percent less if the mothers took the vitamins. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the rate of premature deliveries or fetal death.
Experts recommend daily supplements of all the B vitamins, vitamins C and E, plus iron and folate in levels several times higher than the recommended daily doese in many developing countries where women do not get adequate nutrition.
The study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, reports that the multivitamins help improve fetal growth probably by improving maternal immunity and levels of hemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
Experts recommend that the best way to increase folic acid levels is by taking supplements but it is also recommends eating folate-rich foods like green vegetables (broccoli, spinach), citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits) or wholemeal products like bread or cereals.
The current recommended intake is 200 micrograms per day and women are advised to take an additional 400 micrograms a day before conception and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
