September 12th every year is China’s Birth Defects Prevention and Control Day. According to national birth defects surveillance data, the overall incidence of perinatal birth defects in my country is on the rise. Birth defects not only affect children\’s health and quality of life, but also affect the quality of the entire country\’s population and health stock of human resources, and affect the healthy and sustainable development of the economy and society.
A variety of vitamins and minerals should be supplemented before pregnancy
For pregnant women, eating well does not necessarily mean good nutrition. Pregnant women in my country mainly suffer from deficiency malnutrition and nutritional imbalance, with insufficient intake of important nutrients and excessive energy intake. The synergistic effect of vitamins and minerals helps optimize pregnancy outcomes, so women should pay attention to supplementing with multiple vitamins and minerals before planning pregnancy to effectively reduce the risk of congenital malformations. Czechel\’s large-sample double-blind controlled clinical study shows that supplementing a multivitamin containing a physiological dose of 800 micrograms of folic acid during pregnancy can prevent fetal neural tube malformations and congenital cardiovascular malformations, urinary tract malformations, cleft lip and palate and other congenital defects, ETC. Hannah.B\’s research shows that folic acid supplementation alone can prevent fetal neural tube malformations, but the effect of preventing other malformations is unclear.
For some expectant mothers, obvious early pregnancy reactions will significantly reduce their desire for food, while pregnant women have increased demand for various vitamins and minerals, and there is a synergistic effect between micronutrients. For example, vitamin C can improve the absorption rate of iron, and the synergistic effect of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 can prevent preeclampsia. If the expectant mother\’s vitamin supplement is too single, it will have adverse effects on the mother and fetus.
Scientific and reasonable nutritional supplements are the key
In China, the incidence of fetal neural tube defects is high. Folic acid deficiency is the leading cause of fetal neural tube defects. It is important to know that the fetal neural tube is closed from the 25th to the 28th day. The first 8 weeks of pregnancy are a period when the fetus\’ vital organs are rapidly forming. Most expectant mothers have missed this most important period when they realize they are pregnant. Therefore, expectant mothers should start with pregnancy planning and supplement at least 3 months before pregnancy, which is very important for the development of fetal organs.
Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that can effectively prevent neural tube defects in newborns, but more folic acid is not always better. Excessive intake of folic acid may increase the risk of certain progressive and unknown neurological injuries. The dietary guidelines of the Chinese Nutrition Society mention that the upper daily intake (UL) of folic acid for pregnant women is 1,000 micrograms. Clinical studies show that consuming 800 micrograms of folic acid per day is effective in preventing neural tube defects and other birth defects. Lack of trace elements such as folic acid is the main reason for the high rate of birth defects in newborns in my country. Therefore, we need to correctly understand the current problems, scientifically and reasonably supplement the vitamins required by pregnant mothers through the combination of daily diet + nutrients, pay attention to the nutrition of pregnant mothers, and give birth to healthy babies.