How To Choose A Prenatal Supplement; Sponsored by Canprev Women

On today’s episode of The Superwoman Code, I’m talking about one of my favourite things; building the next generation of super humans. 

Or maybe… how to eliminate some of that stress that google gives you once you start looking at prenatals. 

I’m diving into the science behind absorption and B vitamins, what “baby-brain” actually means, I explain why not all folates are designed equally (and why 5-MTHFR is the most hilarious and hard thing to say five times fast), I’m chatting about what foods we might want to keep in our fridge, and why not all prenatal vitamins are worth it. 

This episode is helpful even if you’re not planning on building a super human anytime soon (or if you’re already built them!). So enjoy, Superwoman! 

This episode is also the second of our Building A Superwoman Miniseries, sponsored by CanPrev Women. If you’ve ever been to the office, you might recognize their sister company, Cytomatrix. This company is founded and run by an amazing woman, and is Canadian born and Canadian based. They also make great products, with proper dosing, and no BS. I’m thrilled they are helping The Superwoman Code bring the education to women to help you all make your health work for you, not against you. 

To discover more, use the code SUPERWOMAN10 to get 10$ off your first order of 40$ or more at www.well.ca (ain’t that cool!)

The Research: 

Wiens D, DeSoto MC. Is High Folic Acid Intake a Risk Factor for Autism?-A Review. Brain Sci. 2017;7(11):149. Published 2017 Nov 10. doi:10.3390/brainsci7110149

Servy EJ, Jacquesson-Fournols L, Cohen M, Menezo YJR. MTHFR isoform carriers. 5-MTHF (5-methyl tetrahydrofolate) vs folic acid: a key to pregnancy outcome: a case series. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2018;35(8):1431-1435. doi:10.1007/s10815-018-1225-2

Greenberg JA, Bell SJ, Guan Y, Yu YH. Folic Acid supplementation and pregnancy: more than just neural tube defect prevention. Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2011;4(2):52-59.

Beluska-Turkan K, Korczak R, Hartell B, et al. Nutritional Gaps and Supplementation in the First 1000 Days. Nutrients. 2019;11(12):2891. Published 2019 Nov 27. doi:10.3390/nu11122891

Greenberg JA, Bell SJ, Ausdal WV. Omega-3 Fatty Acid supplementation during pregnancy. Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2008;1(4):162-169.

Shin BC, Ghosh S, Dai Y, Byun SY, Calkins KL, Devaskar SU. Early life high-fat diet exposure maintains glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity with a fatty liver and small brain size in the adult offspring. Nutr Res. 2019;69:67-81. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2019.08.004

Allen KG, Harris MA. The role of n-3 fatty acids in gestation and parturition. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2001 Jun;226(6):498-506. doi: 10.1177/153537020122600602. PMID: 11395920.

Middleton P, Gomersall JC, Gould JF, Shepherd E, Olsen SF, Makrides M. Omega-3 fatty acid addition during pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2018, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD003402. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003402.pub3

Bastos Maia S, Rolland Souza AS, Costa Caminha MF, et al. Vitamin A and Pregnancy: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(3):681. Published 2019 Mar 22. doi:10.3390/nu11030681

Strobel M, Tinz J, Biesalski HK. The importance of beta-carotene as a source of vitamin A with special regard to pregnant and breastfeeding women. Eur J Nutr. 2007 Jul;46 Suppl 1:I1-20. doi: 10.1007/s00394-007-1001-z. PMID: 17665093.