Adequate amounts of nutrients during pregnancy are essential for maternal, fetal and child health. This study was conducted to investigate the intakes of iron and folate and the effect of supplements on anemia status during pregnancy. One hundred sixty five pregnant women completed questionnaires which included food frequencies and supplement use, and blood tests for hematologic indices. Pregnant women were divided into four groups based on the type of supplements; single nutrient group (S), multivitamins & minerals group (M), Single nutrient + multivitamins & minerals group (S+M), and no supplement group (N). Mean iron intake was 11.1 mg from food (46.3% of Recommended Nutrient Intakes, RNIs) and 66.8 mg from supplements. Mean folate intake was 231.2 µg from food (38.5% of RNI) and 822.7 µg from supplements. In the N group, the subjects who consumed iron and folate less than EAR were 85.7% and 95.2%, respectively. The subjects consumed iron more than UL were 81.0% in the S group, 88.9% in the M group, and 97.4% in the S+M group, and the subjects consumed folate more than UL were 4.8% in the S group, 1.6% in the M group, and 25.6% in the S+M group. The mean values of hemoglobin and hemotocrit in the M group were significantly higher than those in the N group. Despite the relatively high socio-economic status of the participants, overall intakes of iron and folate from food were far below the RNIs, suggesting that a supplement is needed for adequate nutritional status during pregnancy. A multivitamin supplement seems to be more effective than a single nutrient supplement such as iron or folic acid in the prevention of anemia. Further research is required to define the appropriate amount of supplemental iron and folic acid for Korean pregnant women.
Keywords: Anemia; Dietary supplements; Folate; Iron; Pregnant women.