Single Micro-nutrients vs Multi Micro-nutrients: Customising Your Pregnancy Supplement Stack

The journey of becoming a mom involves a range of emotional and physical changes. Your body is not only nourishing you, but it is helping a baby grow and thrive inside you; therefore, the nutritional need of every woman increases sharply.

According to the Indian Journal of Medical Research, India started IFA supplementation (containing 60 mg of elemental iron and 500 µg of folic acid) to all pregnant women as a component of antenatal care in 1973.

If you are planning to conceive, you might have already been advised to start taking folic acid tablets, as it may reduce the risks of neural tube defects and help with foetal development. But, do you think this is sufficient, or would you need something extra? To treat a particular nutritional deficiency, you might want to look for single micronutrient supplements, or you may also opt for comprehensive prenatal multivitamins known as multi micronutrients, to meet the complete nutritional needs of yourself and the child. There are advantages of both, let us check them below: -

Advantages of Single Micronutrients

Single Micronutrients	Benefits for mother	Benefits for infant
Folic Acid	May prevent neural tube defects	Good for brain and spinal cord development
Iron	Can prevent maternal anaemia and related diseases	May lower risks of preterm delivery and low birth weight
Calcium	Possibly reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia	May support foetal bone mineralization and lower the risks of blood pressure later in life
Iodine	May help with thyroid hormone production and prevent goitre	Can prevent neurological cretinism and normal brain development.
Zinc	May lower the risk of preterm delivery and pre-eclampsia	May help with improved immune function and higher birth weight

Advantages of Multi-Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS)

WHO published guidance in the year 2020 recommending the use of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women, which usually provide up to 15 vitamins and minerals in tablet or capsule form.

There are various benefits of Multi-Micronutrient Supplementation for the expecting mom and the infant, according to certain studies. For example, it may,

Foetal Benefits	Maternal Benefits
Reduce risk of preterm birth by 55%	Reduce risk of pre-eclampsia by 45%
Lower risk of birth weight by 15%	Lower risk of gestational diabetes, osteoporosis & thyroid function
Help improve body composition, growth, respiratory health and cognitive outcomes	Reduce incidence of maternal anaemia ( when compared to iron and folate alone)
Lower risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders.	Enhance energy levels, improve immunity and accelerate postpartum recovery.

If you are still confused about your decision whether to consume a multivitamin supplement or opt for individual micronutrients, for example, folic acid tablets or iron tablets during pregnancy, then you must analyse the key differences between Single Micronutrients and Multi Micronutrients.

Let us examine the differences by making a comparison below: -

Feature	Single Micro-nutrient	Multi Micro-nutrient
Composition	Includes a single vitamin or mineral	Comprises multiple vitamins and minerals
Targeting	Addresses a particular nutrient deficiency	Addresses various nutritional deficiencies
Nutrient Interactions	Limited to external factors for interactions	Synergistic Interactions among nutrients
Application	Suitable for treating a clear and isolated deficiency	Suitable for supporting overall wellness

Now that you understand the distinction between the two different types of micronutrients, you may design a prenatal vitamins stack that meets your nutritional needs with the consultation of your Gynaecologist.

Final Note: -

Embarking on the motherhood journey? Do not forget that your body’s requirements change in every stage of your pregnancy. Therefore, any nutritional supplement that you choose must be based on your doctor’s advice and your body’s needs. To ensure a smoother, healthier pregnancy, switch to Trimacare, a 3-stage patented formulation for each trimester of your pregnancy. It is based on the advanced multi-micronutrient model (MMN) and includes Iron, Folate, and Calcium (IFC) to possibly meet the overall nutritional requirements of a pregnant woman.