The Independent revealed that if poorly nourished women are fed with vitamin supplements during pregnancy, it may reduce the risk of them giving birth to underweight babies.

The research was conducted on 405 pregnant women from a low-income area in East London, where some of the women were lacking key micronutrients, like iron, folate and thiamin.

Dr Louise Brough, from Massey University in New Zealand, one of the co-authors of the study, said, “ It is especially important to have good nutrient levels during early pregnancy as this is a critical time for development of the fetus”.

In the beginning of the study, 72% of women had low level of vitamin D, 13% were low in iron and 12% were deficient in thiamin. According to the findings, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, women who were given supplement achieved better levels of all three, as compared to a control group, given placebo.

The Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition at London Metropolitan University and the Homerton University Hospital conducted a study on more than 400 newly pregnant women. Only 149 women completed the study. Half of them were given a multivitamin, Pregnacare, while other half were given a placebo.

The study showed that supplementing with a specific multivitamin supplement may help reduce delivering of under-weight babies by women.