#49 - Choosing a Prenatal Vitamin: GNC Prenatal with Iron

Meets recommendations for:

• Zinc
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin A
• Biotin
• Vitamin B5
• Manganese
• Molybdenum

Exceeds recommendations for the following:

• Folic acid/folate 
• Too much folic acid can interfere with the absorption of zinc 
•  Several sources stated an upper limit of 800 mcg of folic acid and considering I already take in some folic acid/folate taking this supplement may put me in a very high intake range  
• Calcium (recommended dose 200 – 300 mg – dose in this product 600 mg)
• your body can only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time therefore you’ll get the maximum dose that your body can absorb and then excrete the extra
• Vitamin C (recommended dose 50 – 70 mg – dose in this product 120 mg)
• Vitamin C is water soluble so you excrete whatever you don’t need.
• Vitamin B12 (recommended dose 6 mcg – dose in this product 66 mcg)
•  No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
• Vitamin E (recommended dose 10 mg or 30 i.u. – dose in this product 60 i.u.)
• Too much vitamin E has been linked to congenital heart defects. However, this is at doses greater than 300 mg per day so this product should not be a problem in terms of vitamin E.
• Iodine (recommended dose 220 mcg – dose in this product 290 mcg)
• Iodine deficiency use to be a common problem in the US, but the addition of iodine to salt has improved public health; therefore having a low iodine content in this prenatal vitamin doesn’t worry me since it can easily be made up with salt with added iodine.
• Selenium
• Pregnant women have a slightly higher need for selenium than non-pregnant women. However, women living in the United States usually get enough selenium through diet.
• selenium toxicity at dosages as low as 400 mcg per day but this product only supplies 50 mcg so it’s unlikely to lead to overdose since there’s plenty of room for selenium intake via diet
• Chromium
• Excess intake of chromium is not known to cause any adverse effects for most people. However, people who have kidney and liver disorders are likely to suffer from an overdose of chromium.

Below recommendations for the following:

• Iron
• Pregnant women need more iron – up to 50% more than non-pregnant women. I struggle to get enough iron not pregnant so having iron in my vitamin will be essential. This vitamin is a bit lower than the recommended dose for pregnancy but I will be tracking food intake so it’s possible I can make up the difference with diet. If not, iron supplements are inexpensive and I could add a table or ½ a tablet during the day if needed.
• Copper
• This is one that it might be best to err on the side of too little and make up the rest with food especially considering copper deficiencies are uncommon. Too much copper can damage the liver and kidneys.  However, humans (and other mammals) have efficient mechanisms to regulate copper stores copper overdose is not very common.
• Some foods high in copper are chocolate/cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and herbs such as oregano, marjoram, and basil.
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) is found in many foods so a healthy diet should make up the rest of the niacin requirements.
• Magnesium
• Magnesium is required for the proper growth and maintenance of bones. Magnesium is also required for the proper function of nerves, muscles, and many other parts of the body. In the stomach, magnesium helps neutralize stomach acid and moves stools through the intestine.
• I’ll check myfitnesspal.com nutrition to see how much magnesium I’m averaging daily before deciding to supplement. This prenatal vitamin will get me half way to my magnesium goal so I might be able to make up the difference with diet.

Lacks the following:

• Vitamin K
• Easy to reach intake requirements via diet. Vitamin K deficiency is very rare.

Verdict: Maybe though the folic acid content is a bit high considering I'd also be eating foods that contain folic acid.

**Disclaimer - I am blogging these to help you learn more about the prenatal vitamins. I'm just a person like you are so do your own research before choosing a vitamin. I'm simply sharing what I learned and what I think about it.