Prenatal Multi - How it Works

Background

Folic acid – is a vitamin which the required intake is significantly greater during pregnancy. This B vitamin is required for DNA synthesis in rapidly growing and dividing fetal and placental cells and in the critical biochemistry of methyl group transfer in many tissues. Folic acid is not easily transported from plasma into mature cells so deficient tissues tend to remain poor until turnover; tissue repletion may take months . Deficiencies in either folic acid or B12 leads to anemias such as megaloblastic anemia and folic acid deficiency, by itself, causes the spinal malformation known as spina bifida.

Vitamin C – the turnover of vitamin C increases during pregnancy and the RDI has been raised to 80 mg from the current 60 mg/day for adults. This is due partly to increased biosynthesis of collagen, requiring more vitamin C for collagen cross-linking¹. Another less well-known but critical requirement for vitamin C is in the biosynthesis of L-carnitine, the rare amino acid central for lipid metabolism. Many neonates are screened in clinics for L-carnitine levels; subnormal levels indicate serious lipid abnormalities. Vitamin C deficiency depletes nerve cells of key neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine.

Vitamin B12 – like folic acid, deficiencies of B12 are not uncommon during pregnancy and are manifest in damaged erythrocytes and nerve cells. Deficiency is a serious systemic problem because B12 is required by the Krebs cycle, the primary pathway for energy biosynthesis for all cells.

Iron – at the catalytic, active sites of more enzymes than any other metal, iron is required by the fetus for building all tissues in the new body. Iron enzymes transport oxygen, make ATP & GTP via biosynthesis from foodstuffs, modify of toxins for excretion, biosynthesize cytokines for intercellular communications and not least of all, reduce ribose to deoxyribose for fetal DNA biosynthesis. An incredible 90% of American women are iron-deficient during pregnancy², and income is irrelevant.

Vitamin B6 – is the key coenzyme controlling nitrogen levels in cells. This vitamin reacts with all 20 major amino acids releasing ammonia and many aminated by-products formed in fast-growing tissues. It is also a key protective vitamin, detoxifying many nasty by-products from our tissues bathed with high sugar and starch concentrations – the fall-out from the typical US, fast-food diets.

Calcium – the #1 mineral in humans and the primary constituent of bones, calcium is also a powerful neurotransmitter and muscle contracting agent. Diets low in calcium may result in robbing calcium from the expecting mother’s body leading to low bone-calcium concentrations.

Vitamin E – this is the vitamin responsible for keeping the levels of toxic, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in check in new, active tissues. ROS are produced in abundance, by “mistake”, in the mitochondria of cells functioning at high metabolic rates, like those in rapidly dividing neonatal tissues. Deficiency in vitamin E leads to irreversible destruction of mitochondria with all the complications of heart and muscle weakness, kidney, liver problems and premature aging.

Magnesium – is the second most common mineral in mammalian cells. Many critical enzyme reactions will not occur in the absence of adequate magnesium, since this metal forms very stable complexes with ATP and GTP and these triphosphates drive dozens of enzymes in new tissues. Like iron, magnesium deficiency is common during pregnancy regardless of family income3. Inadequate magnesium intake during pregnancy is also associated with SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)³.

Vitamin A – deficiencies in this vitamin have serious consequences including night and total blindness. Diets low in animal proteins are unable to deliver necessary vitamin A to expecting mothers and children⁴. This vitamin is quite labile and must be handled with care during manufacture and QC.

References

1. Dryburgh, DR (1985). Vitamin C and chiropractic. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological therapeutics 8(2): 95-103.
2. Turner, RE, et al., (2003). Comparing nutrient intake from food to the estimated average requirements shows middle- to upper-income pregnant women lack iron and possibly magnesium. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103(5): 563.
3. Caddell, JL (2001). The apparent ipact of gestational magnesium (Mg) deficiency on the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Magnesium Research 14(4): 291-303.
4. Sommer, A and Davidson, FR (2002). Assessment and control of vitamin A deficiency: the Annecy Accords. Journal of Nutrition 132: 2845S-2850S.

Supplement Facts - Prenatal Multi

Contains no sugar, starch, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, corn, yeast, wheat, grain, egg, or milk products.

Quality Assurance Statement - Anabolic Laboratories

Founded in 1924, Anabolic Laboratories formulates and manufactures clinical nutrition products. Our expertise in pharmaceutical manufacturing, patient programs, and clinician training sets the standard for health care professionals.

At Biossential Nutrition, we pride ourselves in offering the best products available to our customers. Offering the highest quality products & individual ingredients, as well as ensuring our products are effective & work as advertised, are the mains goals we strive to achieve with our product offerings.

Why We Recommend Anabolic Laboratories Nutritional Supplements

History

Anabolic Laboratories was founded as a nutritional products company in 1924 and became a pharmaceutical manufacturer in 1940. Anabolic Laboratories is one of the oldest manufacturers of nutritional products in the world.

Standards

As a pharmaceutical manufacturing operation, the standards used for raw materials, production and finished product testing exceed the new requirements for nutritional product manufacturing.

Quality

Pharmaceutical standards of manufacturing provide nutritional products with label accuracy, potency and purity as dictated by the USFDA (United States Food & Drug Administration).

Formulas

A nutritional program and clinical formulas that are based on the specifications used in the scientific research.

The Need To Consider Quality:

Of the magnesium supplements tested by ConsumerLab.com, 25% failed to meet quality standards. One magnesium supplement contained only 45.4% of labeled amount, despite boasting a "GMP" (Good Manufacturing Practices) seal on its label, and another supplement provided only 28.8% of the labeled amount.
Reference: ConsumerLab.com, Magnesium Supplement Reviews and Quality Ratings, Posted 5/19/09

Tests by ConsumerLab.com have found multivitamins that were short on ingredients, failed to dissolve properly, or were contaminated with heavy metals.
ConsumerLab.com, New Product Review: Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplements, Posted 4/1/09

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that manufacturing problems have been associated with dietary supplements. Products been recalled because of microbiological, pesticide, and heavy metal contamination, and because they do not contain the dietary ingredients they are represented to contain, or they contain more or less than the amount of dietary ingredient claimed on the label.
Reference: June 22, 2007, FDA @ http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dscgmps7.html