Pregnant? Vitamin B3 can prevent birth defects but don't take it yet

 

Reports on a new study claim supplementation with vitamin B3 during pregnancy could prevent miscarriages and birth defects.

So should all pregnant women start taking B3 supplements? Not so fast. While this is an interesting and well-done study, the researchers didn’t actually give vitamin B3 to any humans, so we need a lot more information before we can recommend it.

What the study found

The study identified genetic causes of a rare type of birth defect called “VACTERL association”. VACTERL stands for vertebral defects, anal atresia (problems with the tissue closing the anus), cardiac