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Do not rush out for B3 supplements "just yet"

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Sat, 12 Aug 2017, 6:51AM
Warning not to rush to use B3 supplements if pregnant "just yet" (Photo - Getty)
Warning not to rush to use B3 supplements if pregnant "just yet" (Photo - Getty)

Do not rush out for B3 supplements "just yet"

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Sat, 12 Aug 2017, 6:51AM

Pregnant women are being advised against rushing out for Vitamin B3 supplements, just yet.

It has been claimed this week that B3 could prevent millions of miscarriages and birth defects.

But the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said the suggestions are extraordinary.

The College said the claims are based on a small study in mice, and could potentially do more harm than good.

It said just because the supplement prevents malformations in the mouse study does not mean it'll work in humans.

Most breakfast cereals, meat, and Vegemite already contain Niacin.

Yesterday, Professor at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Sally Dunwoodie told Mike Hosking more research needs to be done to determine just how much B3 is needed.

"What we would recommend is that pregnant women, in the end stage of pregnancy take a pregnancy multivitamin and that's has a standard amount of vitamin B3 and that's the best advice we can give at the moment."

Dunwoodie said they still have some way to go to figure out just how much Vitamin B3 someone needs to take.

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