Folic acid Folly
Survey shows pregnant women are ignoring nutritional advice
A quarter of pregnant women do not increase their intake of folic acid during
pregnancy, according to a new survey by Tommy’s the baby charity, with a
further 98% admitting they do not alter their diet to include folate rich foods.1
Research has shown that folic acid can help support the early formation of your
baby’s nervous system and may help prevent spina bifida, a condition where the
baby’s spine does not close up properly. In response, Tommy’s have created a
pregnancy specific range of multivitamins to make it even easier for pregnant women
to boost their folic acid intake.
Tommy’s Essential Multivitamins & Minerals with Folic Acid and Tommy’s
Essential Multivitamins & Minerals with Folic Acid plus Omega 3 are an easy
and convenient way for pregnant women help support the nutritional needs of both
mother and baby.
Available exclusively at Boots, the vitamins range has been specially formulated by
Tommy’s researchers to provide both mother and baby with optimum combination
of essential vitamins and minerals needed for before conception, during pregnancy
and during breastfeeding, including Folate, Vitamin A (beta-carotene), Vitamin D and
Iron.
And with a percentage of each purchase helping to fund Tommy’s medical research,
Tommy’s vitamins can help maintain your pre and post natal health whilst also
helping support Tommy’s life saving research.
Tommy’s understand that whether you're pregnant or are trying to conceive it's
important to make sure you maintain a healthy diet with all the right nutrients for
you and your baby.
During this busy and life-changing time it can be difficult to
obtain everything you need from your diet alone, but the range of Tommy’s vitamins
now makes it even easier to help support the healthy growth of your baby.
Tommy’s Professor, Lucilla Poston said:
“Tommy’s multivitamin supplement is designed to provide reassurance to those
pregnant women who may, despite their best intentions fail to eat an adequate diet.
This may be because of a busy lifestyle, pre-existing dietary preferences, nausea,
vomiting or commitments that prevent them from eating well. Whatever the reason,
this supplement provides a safety net for these women.
It does not provide a
substitute though, as there are many health advantages of an optimal diet over and
above those provided by micronutrients.”
Tommy’s Essential Multivitamins & Minerals with Folic Acid (£3.99 for 30
tablets) contains 16 vitamins and minerals as well as the recommended daily dose
of 400 micrograms of folic acid to help support the development of your unborn baby
throughout your pregnancy. Studies have shown that folic acid may assist with the
development of your baby’s spinal cord.
Tommy’s Essential Multivitamins & Minerals with Folic Acid plus Omega 3
(£9.99 for 30 tablets) has been enriched with the fatty acid omega 3 to provide
additional nutritional benefit during your pregnancy.
Jane Brewin from Tommy’s says: “The Tommy’s range of vitamins demonstrates
Tommy’s commitment to helping women have a healthy pregnancy.
As a proportion
of each pack of vitamins sold will help fund further Tommy’s research, women buying
these vitamins will be helping support other mums to be.”
A Tommy’s study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in February
2009 revealed that teenagers’ low dietary intake of folate may also restrict babies’
growth during pregnancy - a serious problem often associated with stillbirth.
The
study showed that many teenagers have poorer quality diets than adults and tend to
eat energy dense, micronutrient-poor foods.2
- endsFor further information about Tommy’s Vitamins, images or for interviews
with spokespeople including a Tommy’s midwife, please contact please
contact:
Lizzie Andrews / 020 7202 8520 / lizzie.andrews@tiger-white.com
For further information about Tommy’s please contact:
Nina Diringer ndiringer@tommys.org or call the Tommy’s Press Office on 020 7398
3448.
Notes to editors:
Tommy’s Essential Multivitamins & Minerals with Folic Acid cost £3.99 for 30
one
a
day
capsules
available
exclusively
in
Boots’
stores
and
online
at
www.boots.com
Tommy’s Essential Multivitamins & Minerals with Folic Acid plus Omega 3
costs £9.99 for 30 one a day capsules available exclusively in Boots’ stores and
online at www.boots.com
Survey conducted via online poll of 87 women July 2009
Philip N Baker et al; A prospective study of micronutrient status in adolescent
pregnancy, Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group, School of Laboratory and
Clinical Sciences, University of Manchester, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, February
2009
1
2
Tommy’s
At Tommy’s we believe it is unacceptable that one in four women will loose a baby at
some point during their lives. We want to give every baby the best chance of being
born healthy, so we work to fund medical research into the causes of premature
birth, stillbirth and miscarriage, and provide a free information service that educates
all parents-to-be about health in pregnancy.
Our information service is informed by our medical research and includes a telephone
midwife service, a comprehensive website and free books and leaflets promoting
health in pregnancy. By 2030 we want to halve the number of babies who die during
pregnancy or birth. To talk to a Tommy’s midwife call 0870 777 30 60 or email
midwife@tommys.org or log on to www.tommys.org