Kacey Mikuteit

Maternal 310
Prenatal Supplement Comparison
9/30/15

I chose two prenatal vitamins that varied in cost to see if the

price of the supplement would affect the content. The NautureMade
Multi Prenatal supplement was only 16.49 for the bottle, with each
serving of one pill costing $0.18. The Rainbow Light Embrace Prenatal
35+ multivitamin was $49.99 per bottle, with each serving of three
pills costing $1.68. The nutrients that the NatureMade vitamin met the
RDA for pregnant women ages 19-30 included: vitamin A, vitamin C,
Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, vitamin B6, Folic Acid, vitamin B12, Iron,
and Zinc. Of those nutrients, the ones that exceeded 125% of the
nutrient requirements included: vitamin A (1,212 mcg, 157%), vitamin
B6 (2.6 mg, 137%), Folic Acid (800 mcg, 133%), vitamin B12 (4 mcg,
154%), and Zinc (25 mg, 227%). There is some concern with the
excess of the nutrients vitamin A and zinc because the supplement
supplies half of the tolerable upper intake level (UL). With a healthy
diet on top of taking the supplement, it could be very easy to approach
the UL, which may cause adverse health affects. Overall, the
NatureMade supplement provides a sufficient amount of some, but not
all of the necessary nutrients during pregnancy. The supplement has

high levels of vitamin A and zinc, however, with a cautious diet these
levels should not be a problem.
The second prenatal vitamin I chose was Rainbow Light Embrace
Prenatal 35+ multivitamin. The recommended serving size was three
pills, but after I looked at the nutrient content, I would suggest
reducing the serving size to one or two pills. The nutrients that the
Rainbow Light multivitamin met included: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin
D, vitamin E, vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, vitamin B6, Folic
Acid, vitamin B12, Biotin, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese,
Chromium, Molybdenum, and Chloride. Of those nutrients, the ones
that exceeded 125% of the nutrient requirements included: vitamin A
(1515 mcg, 197%), vitamin C (120 mg, 141%), vitamin D (40 mcg,
267%), vitamin E (20 mg, 134%), vitamin K (125 mcg, 139%), Thiamin
(24 mg, 1,714%), Riboflavin (25 mg, 1,786%), Niacin (40 mg, 222%),
vitamin B6 (500 mcg, 19,230%), Biotin (300 mcg, 1,000%), Zinc (15
mg, 136%), Selenium (200 mcg, 333%), Copper (1,500 mcg, 150%),
Manganese (3 mg, 150%), Chromium (300 mcg, 1,000%), and
Molybdenum (75 mcg, 150%). While some of these nutrients only
exceed the recommended intake by a little, there are a lot of nutrients
that greatly exceed the recommended intake, which is very
concerning. Pregnant women should be cautious of the high levels of
vitamin A, vitamin D, niacin, zinc, selenium, and manganese in the
supplement. While most of the vitamins and minerals dont exceed the

UL from the supplement, it can be easy to reach the UL with certain

foods in the diet. Therefore pregnant women should be very aware of
what they eat when taking this supplement. The supplement alone
exceeds the UL for niacin, which is extremely concerned especially if
women are taking the supplement every day. In conclusion, the
Rainbow Light supplement meets most of the nutrients necessary for a
healthy pregnancy. However, it exceeds the RDA and many nutrients
come close to the UL, which can cause many problems to the mother
and baby.
The NatureMade supplement was the cheaper option out of the
two supplements. Although it has more sensible nutrient doses, it was
missing a lot of nutrients including vitamin K, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid,
Choline, Phosphorus, Iodine, Magnesium, Selenium, Copper,
Manganese, Chromium, Molybdenum, Chloride, Potassium, and
Fluoride. On the other hand, the Rainbow Light supplement contained
almost all the nutrients except for Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus,
Chloride, Potassium, and Fluoride, but had extremely high doses of
many of the nutrients that could even lead to toxicities. The Rainbow
Light supplements serving size was three pills, while the NatureMade
supplement was only one. If I were to choose between the two, I would
purchase the Rainbow Light supplement, but only take one or two of
the pills. That way, I would be receiving almost all the nutrients
needed, but in a more appropriate dosage.

NatureMades prenatal supplement does not contain any nonmicronutrient additives, while Rainbow Lights prenatal supplement
does. Rainbow Lights supplement contains a circulatory bioflavonoid
blend, a gentle digestive complex, energizing greens and foods, and
soothing botanical blend. The circulatory Bioflavonoid blend consists of
lemon bioflavonoid complex, hesperidin, and rutin, which help support
capillary strength, improve circulation, and increase absorption of
vitamin C. The gentle digestive complex consists of Protease, Amylase,
Lipase, Cellulase, and Betaine HCl, which help in digestion of food. The
energizing greens and foods mix contains spirulina, kale, collards,
prune, raisin, and pomegranate. This mix contains many power foods
that are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The
soothing botanical blend contains ginger, chamomile extract, and
lavender oil to help prevent nausea.
Two nutrients that have increased requirements during
pregnancy are iron and Folate. A 19-30 year old non-pregnant woman
should be consuming 18 mg of Iron and 400 mcg Folate, while a 19-30
year old pregnant woman should be consuming 27 mg Iron and 600
mcg Folate. Iron makes up part of hemoglobin, which carried oxygen
throughout the body. During pregnancy, blood levels in the body
increase up to 150% and therefore more iron is necessary to make
more hemoglobin for all the additional blood so both the mother and
baby have enough oxygen. NatureMades prenatal supplement

provides 100% RDA for iron for pregnant women 19-30 years of age,
while Rainbow Lights supplement provides no iron. If women choose to
take the Rainbow Light supplement, they must also be sure they are
either eating enough iron or taking an iron supplement as well. Folic
acid or folate is necessary for cell development. Therefore, when
pregnant and forming new cells to make a child, folate is essential for
the healthy development of the fetus. Both NatureMade and Rainbow
Lights supplements provide 133% RDA for folate for pregnant women
19-30. While this is over the recommended intake for folate, it is not
enough to pass the UL.
I would recommend pregnant women to take the Embrace
Prenatal 35+ Multivitamin by Rainbow Light, but I would make sure
women were only taking one or two of the pills. They would still be
getting a significant amount of the nutrients, without having to worry
about UL or toxicities. Also, by taking one or two pills, the price per
serving will decrease. Rainbow Lights supplement also contains four
different non-micronutrient blends. Although the Rainbow Light
supplements are more expensive than the NatureMade, they include
way more nutrients that are beneficial to woman and their babies
during pregnancy.
I learned from this assignment the importance of a prenatal
vitamin during pregnancy and how different prenatal supplements can
be. Many pregnant women do not have nutritional backgrounds and

may not understand what they should be looking for in a prenatal

vitamin. Companies such as NatureMade advertise their prenatal
vitamin, but lack many of the necessary nutrients, which can be very
misleading to pregnant women. In order to ensure a safe pregnancy for
women, doctors must education women on choosing the right prenatal
vitamin, or companies must make it easy for women with no nutritional
background to understand what is in the product.