Comparison of Polish and international guidelines on diet supplements in pregnancy — review

Proper nutrition is an important element that determines the course of pregnancy. Unfortunately, the everyday diet is notalways able to cover the increased in pregnancy essential vitamins and minerals requirements. Therefore, pregnant womenoften use dietary supplements. This study aimed to compare Polish and international recommendations regarding dietarysupplementation during pregnancy. The Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (PSGO) recommends in everypregnant woman the dietary supplementation of folates, vitamin D and iodine.Additionally, the benefits of iron supplementation in pregnant women with anemia or at high risk of developing anemiaare also highlighted. In the light of Polish guidelines, the magnesium supplementation is recommended in the conditionof its reduced level in blood. In the case of limited consumption of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), Polish guidelines recommendin pregnant women’s diet, at least 600 mg of DHA every day. Still, in case of the high risk of premature birth — atleast 1000 mg DHA a day during the entire pregnancy period should be taken