As you all know, I'm doing my research on prenatal vitamins. I reviewed Vitafusion Prenatal Gummies yesterday and decided against them because they don't have calcium or iron among many other things. Today I'm reviewing Rainbow Light Prenatal.
Rainbow Light Prenatal
Meets recommendations for the following:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin A
- Manganese
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
- 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 B6
- No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
- Vitamin B12
- No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
- Vitamin B3
- No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
- Vitamin E
- 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.
- Vitamin B1
- No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
- Biotin
- Biotin is water soluble therefore it is unlikely to cause overdose symptoms since you excrete extra during urination.
- Vitamin B2
- No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
- Vitamin B5
- No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
- 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.
- Molybdenum
- Molybdenum is a trace mineral found in foods such as milk, cheese, cereal grains, legumes, nuts, leafy vegetables, and organ meats.
- Harmful effects from too much molybdenum are quite uncommon. This could be because the mineral is rapidly excreted when consumed at high levels.
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.
- Zinc
- zinc deficiency may also cause an increase in preterm birth
- The daily requirement for zinc during pregnancy is 15 milligrams, but a higher dose may be needed. That’s because high intake of folic acid can interfere with absorption of zinc and thus create a deficiency of this mineral.
- I think I can make this one up with diet. The vitamin will get me to half the dose and some foods high in zinc include chocolate!, beef, and eggs.
- Iodine
- 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.
Lacks the following:
- Vitamin K
- Easy to reach intake requirements via diet. Vitamin K deficiency is very rare.
Verdict: Maybe though I don't like the high folic acid content.
**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.
