A randomized cross over trial of tolerability and compliance of a micronutrient supplement with low iron separated from calcium vs high iron combined with calcium in pregnant women [ISRCTN56071145]

Table 1 Composition of two prenatal supplements and Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) values¹²

Component	PregVit^®	Materna^® ***	Recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
	a.m. tablet**
Vit. A^ψ	2700 IU (β-Carotene)	1500 IU (β-Carotene) 1500 IU (acetate)	750–770 μg retinol
Vit. E^ξ	30 IU	30 IU	15 mg
Vit. C	120 mg	100 mg	80–85 mg
Vit. B₁ (thiamin)	3 mg	3 mg	1.4 mg
Vit. B₂ (riboflavin)	3.4 mg	3.4 mg	1.4 mg
Niacinamide	20 mg	20 mg	18 mg
Vit. B₆	10 mg	10 mg	1.9 mg
Pantothenic acid (calcium pantothenate)	5 mg	10 mg	6 mg*
Magnesium	50 mg	50 mg	350–400 mg
Iodine	0.15 mg	0.15 mg	0.22 mg
Iron	35 mg (as fumarate)	60 mg (as fumarate)	27 mg
Copper	2 mg	2 mg	1 mg
Zinc	15 mg	25 mg	11–12 mg
	p.m. tablet**
Folic Acid	1.1 mg	1 mg	0.6 mg
Vit. B₁₂ (cyanocaobalamin)	12 μg	12 μg	2.6 μg
Vit. D (cholecalciferol)^ε	250 IU	250 IU	5 μg*
Calcium	300 mg	250 mg	1000–1300 mg*
Biotin	0	30 μg	-
Chromium	0	25 μg	29–30 μg*
Manganese	0	5 mg	2 mg*
Molybdenum	0	25 μg	50 μg
Selenium	0	25 μg	60 μg
Pill Size	Small	large

* Adequate Intake
** Applies only to PregVit ^®
^ψ VIT A – 1 International Unit (IU) of retinol is equivalent to 0.3 μg retinol (750 μg of retinol is 2,500 IU of retinol)
2 μg of supplemental β-carotene is equivalent to 1 μg retinol ^{3 (page 92 & 565)}
^ξ VIT E – 1 International Unite (IU) is equivalent to 0.67 μg of α-tocopherol (15 mg is equivalent to 22,388 IU)
However, different conversion factors are used for different forms of vitamin E
εVIT D – 1 IU is equivalent to 0.025 μg of cholecalciferol (5 μg is equivalent to 200 IU)
***Please note: Since the completion of this study a new formulation of Materna was introduced containing 27 mg of elemental iron.

ISSN: 1471-2393