| Supplement | Number needed to treat (Eliminate one birth problem) | Lifetime cost of a problem | |
| Folic acid | NNT = 2000 - Spina bifida | $700,000 | |
| Vitamin D | NNT = 20 - Premature birth | $700,000, Ref2 | |
100 X fewer people need to take Vitamin D than Folic acid to eliminate a $700,000 lifetime risk
And, Vitamin D eliminates far more risks/costs than just preterm birth
Pregnancy-related Benefits and problems of Vitamin D and Folic Acid
Note: Vitamin D results in many benefits but Folic acid results in many problems
Problem | Vit D Reduces | Vit D Evidence | Folic Acid Evidence |
| Premature birth | 1 in 20 births | RCT | no change |
| Spina Bifida birth defect | no data | no data | reduction by 1 in 2,000 births |
| Other birth defects | Increase if gene problem (1 in 4 women) | ||
| Chance of not conceiving | 3.4 X | Observe | perhaps helps if the man takes Folic |
| Miscarriage | 2.5 X | Observe | ? ? |
| Pre-eclampsia | 3.6 X | RCT | 2 X trend |
| Gestational Diabetes | 3 X | RCT | 2.5 X increase |
| C-section - unplanned | 1.6 X | Observe | no data |
| Depression AFTER pregnancy | 1.4 X | RCT | |
| Small for Gestational Age | 1.6 X | meta-analysis | 1.2 X reduction |
| Childhood Wheezing | 1.3 X | RCT | |
| Additional child is Autistic | 4 X | Intervention | Reduces 4 X increase if gene problem |
| Young adult Multiple Sclerosis | 1.9 X | Observe | no data |
| Preeclampsia in young adult | 3.5 X | RCT | |
| Childhood Respiratory Tract visits | 2.5 X | RCT |
See also Vitamin D Life
- Ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby - take Vitamin D before conception
- Healthy pregnancies need lots of vitamin D
- Vitamin D is 100X better than folic acid during pregnancy -details on costs, rates
- Autism 17 times more likely with excessive Folic Acid and B-12 (now added to bread) – May 2016
- Details on Folic Acid problems vs Folate due to genes for 1 in 4 women
Recommendation - starting 12 weeks before conception
1) Take 400 ug of FOLATE (not folic acid) daily thru 8th week of pregnancy
Do not continue taking Folate after 8th week, there is a 3.2X risk of breast cancer if high Folate in blood
2) Take at least 4,000 IU of Vitamin D daily for the rest of life, but especially thru breastfeeding
(Use a vitamin D loading dose if had not supplemented before pregnancy)