Greek pregnant women demonstrate inadequate micronutrient intake despite supplement use

Maternal diet is important in the outcome of pregnancy and the health of the children. The present cross-sectional study aimed to assess the use of dietary supplements during pregnancy and define the maternal characteristics associated with supplement use.

The diet of 100 childbearing women was recorded for three consecutive days and micronutrient supplementation was added to the dietary intake and the median values were used in the analyses.

The majority of the participants (92%) consumed at least one supplement. Supplementation of folic acid (FA) was significantly lower during the third trimester compared to the second (p ≤ .007). Higher intake of Ca and Fe supplements was observed in the second trimester (p ≤ .001). The use of supplements contributed to an attenuated consumption of all reported micronutrients (Mg, Ca, FA, and Fe, p ≤ .001). The principal components analysis revealed that the most important factor contributing to supplementation was primiparity.

Overall, a high prevalence of micronutrient supplementation during pregnancy was observed without ensuring adequacy in the micronutrient intake. The increased rates of supplement users might be the result of an act for balancing diet in unplanned pregnancies.