For Immediate ReleaseJanuary 22, 2002
Contact: Randolph FillmorePhone: 410/706-3803Pager: 410/894-0772[email protected]
Many Prenatal Vitamins Don't Meet U.S. Standards, UM Researcher Says
January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month and women of childbearing age and expectant mothers are being reminded in January to take folic acid supplements to lessen the risk that their babies will be born with serious birth defects. Stephen W. Hoag, PhD, an associate professor and researcher at the School of Pharmacy, has found that many over the counter folic acid supplements and prescription folic acid supplements may not be delivering the folic acid dose necessary for prenatal protection, despite what their labels say.
"Manufacturing flaws and other quality problems can prevent many supplements from releasing folic acid properly," says Hoag, who studies how drugs perform in the body. "Just because it has the correct amount of folic acid on the label doesn't mean that amount of folic acid is available for absorption."
Folic acid supplementation has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of birth defects, such as spina bifida. Spina bifida is neural tube defect in which the newborn's spinal column is underdeveloped, leaving a portion of it unprotected. Folic acid has been found to greatly reduce the incidence of that birth defect.
"Given the significance of folic acid for preventing neural tube defects, it is extremely disturbing to find that the majority of prenatal vitamins we tested did not meet dissolution standards," points out Hoag. "Only 33 percent of the folic acid supplements we tested met United States Pharmacopeia standards." Hoag says that USP standards (www.usp.org) are designed to ensure that dietary supplements, over-the-counter drugs, and prescription drugs act in accordance with well-accepted standards.
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http://www.oea.umaryland.edu/Media/NewsSum/News.htmThe Baltimore campus of the University of Maryland is home to the dental school, graduate school, and schools of law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work. It is the founding institution of the University System of Maryland.
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