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"A recent study found that poor maternal vitamin D status was associated with reduced bone mass in their offspring at age 9 and may also increase those children's risk of osteoporosis in later life," says Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation, who has also written a paper on nutrition in pregnancy."If calcium intakes were low during childhood and early adolescence, stores may be insufficient to meet both maternal and foetal needs."
Medical wisdom has long held that taking folic acid supplements in pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects, including spina bifida.But the message emerging from research is that women who wait until pregnancy to improve their diet may be leaving it too late."A recent study emphasises the importance of folic acid supplementation before the time of conception, as once pregnancy is established it is probably too late for folic acid to have a protective effect," says Williamson.