Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Prenatal Vitamins

pinkgirl

Recommended Posts

pinkgirl Newbie
pinkgirl
Posted

I recently bought the NOW brand of prenatal caps but have a concern with the amount of Vitamin A per serving size. The serving size is 4 capsules and the Vitamin A content is 10,000 IU. I recently read that this is in the "danger zone" of Vitamin A and can cause miscarriages and birth defects. They recommend no more than 2,500 IU of Vitamin A per day. Does anyone take a prenatal vitamin that doesn't have such a high Vitamin A count? If I take less than the serving size, I am not getting enough Folic Acid.

My husband and I are thinking of starting to have children and I want to make sure I am taking the necessary precautions. I will be asking my doctor but was wondering if anyone had any advice that they have heard from their doctors.

Thank you all for your help!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


alamaz Collaborator
alamaz
Posted

that does seem pretty high. you could take half of the prenatal dose and take a sep. folic acid supplement if the half dose is giving you everything else you need. i can't tolerate any prenatals right now so i take a one a day multi and an additional folic acid tablet. if you are concerned about the vitamin a level take it back to get another brand.

pmarbach Newbie
pmarbach
Posted

i am 7 months pregnant and take stuart prenatals which are gluten free and over the counter. they have over 100% of daily recommended value for folic acid and 100% of the Vit A comes from beta carotene which is safe and then you dont have to worry about the Vit A derived from retinol. good luck!!!

  • 3 weeks later...
ItchyMeredith Contributor
ItchyMeredith
Posted
i am 7 months pregnant and take stuart prenatals which are gluten free and over the counter. they have over 100% of daily recommended value for folic acid and 100% of the Vit A comes from beta carotene which is safe and then you dont have to worry about the Vit A derived from retinol. good luck!!!

Are you taking the ones with the extra DHA pill? I am not pregnant but I am still taking them because I am breastfeeding....and will probably be pregnant again in the next year (what can I say-I love babies!). Are Stuart Prenatal w/DHA gluten free?

  • 2 months later...
mommyagain Explorer
mommyagain
Posted

My doc just put me on Neevo (says right on the box that it's gluten free!). I just took my 1st one, so I don't know yet if it's gonna make me vomit, or get me glutened... I'll update later today :)

Anyway, she said that I also need to add DHA (fatty acid usually found in fish?). She had one called Expecta (made by Enfamil - the formula maker) but could not tell if it was gluten free. From the ingredients it LOOKS like it's probably gluten-free, but I'm not sure. If I can't find any info, I may just wait a day or 2 to make sure my tummy can handle the Neevo, then I'll add the other. Of course, my response to her saying I needed something that's found in fish oil was "you're not allowed to eat enough fish that you would get all the DHA you need" :P

Does anyone know anything about Expecta? Thanks.

tiffjake Enthusiast
tiffjake
Posted

I take GNC prenatals. They are 5000 iu of Vit A per serving from beta-carotene. One serving is two tablets, so that is 2500 each. They are gluten free, as well as soy, corn, whey, and other stuff free. :) Tiffany

powderprincess Rookie
powderprincess
Posted

I like Rainbow Light's "Prenatal One":

Open Original Shared Link

Looks like a very safe dose of Vit A and they guarantee that they're gluten free :)

Oh and you can get a good price for these at Target, and every once in a while Whole Foods has them on sale.

I recently bought the NOW brand of prenatal caps but have a concern with the amount of Vitamin A per serving size. The serving size is 4 capsules and the Vitamin A content is 10,000 IU. I recently read that this is in the "danger zone" of Vitamin A and can cause miscarriages and birth defects. They recommend no more than 2,500 IU of Vitamin A per day. Does anyone take a prenatal vitamin that doesn't have such a high Vitamin A count? If I take less than the serving size, I am not getting enough Folic Acid.

My husband and I are thinking of starting to have children and I want to make sure I am taking the necessary precautions. I will be asking my doctor but was wondering if anyone had any advice that they have heard from their doctors.

Thank you all for your help!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mommyagain Explorer
mommyagain
Posted

I've been on the Neevo's for 3 days now, and haven't had problems. I just added the Expecta last night and had a gluten response about 20 minutes later :( Unfortunately, there is a chance that I got glutened from cross-contamination, so it may have been a coincidence. But, I'm going to skip the Expecta for a day or two, then try adding it back with a day of only eating "whole" foods that I know are safe, and see what happens.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,327
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    dnamutant
    Newest Member
    dnamutant
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.