Karolina Kłosowska-Buryło, Julia Niewiecka, Halina Kazimiera Grajeta, Joanna Magdalena Pieczyńska

Reasonableness of the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in pregnant women in the following trimesters

 

2024-11-20

Subject of the study. The use of dietary supplements during pregnancy may be advisable, especially for women who have difficulty meeting the necessary nutrient requirements through diet alone or for those with special nutritional needs, such as those resulting from chronic conditions. Individual nutritional needs may vary, which is why supplementation recommendations should be tailored individually for each pregnant woman, depending on her diet and health condition.

Purpose of the study. The aim of the study was to analyze the coverage of vitamin and mineral requirements through the daily food ration (DFR), both without and with the inclusion of vitamin and mineral supplementation, and to assess the appropriateness of their use by pregnant women in different trimesters of pregnancy.

Materials and methods. The study involved 46 women in the first trimester of pregnancy, 33 women in the second trimester, and 30 women in the third trimester. A 24-hour dietary recall interview was conducted for each group, covering 7 consecutive days. The intake of vitamins and minerals by the pregnant women in each trimester was assessed both without and with supplementation. The composition of the daily food rations of the studied women was calculated using the Dieta 6 computer program, and the results were compared with the applicable standards for each trimester of pregnancy. The results were processed using Microsoft Office Excel 2019 and subjected to statistical analysis using the Mann-Whitney U test in Statistica v.13.3 software by StatSoft Polska.

Results. Regardless of the trimester of pregnancy, the diet of the pregnant women studied, without considering supplementation, did not meet their requirements for vitamin D, folate, iron, and iodine. For other vitamins and minerals, their intake from diet alone was sufficient to meet the requirements. The use of supplementation in each trimester of pregnancy allowed for meeting the needs for folate and iron; however, it also led to statistically significant excessive intake of vitamin C, B vitamins, zinc, and copper in the first trimester; vitamins A, E, C, B vitamins, zinc, and copper in the second trimester; and B vitamins, zinc, and copper in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Conclusions. Based on the analysis of the obtained results, it can be concluded that the use of dietary supplements containing vitamin D, folate, iron, and iodine is justified for pregnant women in the various trimesters of pregnancy, in accordance with the current guidelines of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians. Nutritional education for pregnant women seems necessary at every stage of pregnancy, including the individual selection of vitamin and mineral supplements based on the specific needs of the pregnant woman.

Keywords: supplementation, pregnancy, minerals, vitamins.

© Farm Pol, 2024, 80(6): 389–400