Iron deficiency more prevalent during pregnancy than previously believed.

Iron is one of the most important nutrients for pregnant women. It is important for retaining the mother’s health, the formation of the placenta, the fetal blood supply and for the creation of iron stores which will sustain the child during the first few months of life. Unfortunately, as many doctors and women who have had children know, iron is one of the hardest nutrients to retain healthy levels of while pregnant. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (March 2011) shows that iron needs during pregnancy may be more significant than previously known. This study, based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999-2006) found that more pregnant US women had deficient total-body iron levels, especially during the second and third trimesters, than previously believed. Researchers believe these findings show the need for all pregnant women, as well as those wishing to become pregnant, to supplement with prenatal vitamins that provide good sources of iron. This research also appears to support several recent trials that have shown supplementation with iron can reduce the risk of low birth weight and preterm births. To read more on this study: http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/03/23/ajcn.110.007195.abstract