Why I don't recommend Elevit

 

You may have been told to take Elevit by a doctor or friend, or you may have grabbed it off the shelf. The thing is, it’s not a supplement I recommend for preconception care, pregnancy or breastfeeding, ever.

During preconception, pregnancy and postpartum periods, you need higher levels of specific nutrients to enhance fertility, prevent miscarriage, support a healthy developing foetus and support thriving parents! Supplementation is recommend for preconception and pregnancy periods by Australian medical practitioners and natural medicine practitioners, but the TYPE of supplement you take can have a significant impact on your fertility, pregnancy and postpartum journey.

Elevit is a popular over-the-counter supplement, however Elevit doesn’t contain high quality and readily absorbed nutrients, and also the dose of a number of the nutrients is too low.

Here’s my top three reasons I don’t recommend Elevit:

  • Folic acid vs Folate - Vitamin B9 aka folate, can prevent neural tube defects and is vital for DNA replication, and growth of the foetus. Folate is naturally found in foods such as eggs, green leafy veggies and liver. However, folic aid is the synthetic form of folate (usually in fortified foods or supplements).

    • Elevit contains folic acid, the synthetic form of folate, which has to undergo a number of reactions in the body, in order to be absorbed and utilised.

    • However, up to 30% of the population having a common genetic mutation, MTHFR, which means they have difficulty absorbing Vitamin B9 due to the difficulty in converting inactivate folate to active folate (5-MTHF). If you have a MTHFR gene mutation, it can reduce your ability to absorb folate by 20-70%.

    • It’s documented that MTHFR mutations are linked with recurrent miscarriages.

      • A significant amount of research indicates that maternal and paternal MTHF gene C677T and A1298C polymorphisms are associated with recurrent pregnancy loss.

      • This is why I recommend folate in an activated form and to avoid folic acid in supplements such as Elevit and Blackmores.

  • Iron - iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world and can affect up to 52% of pregnant women.

    • A paper from the National Library of Medicine states, “throughout pregnancy, iron deficiency anaemia adversely affects the maternal and foetal well-being, and is linked to increased morbidity and foetal death. Affected mothers frequently experience breathing difficulties, fainting, tiredness, palpitations, and sleep difficulties”. See the research here

    • Read more about iron supplementation here

    • It’s important to note that iron supplements are poorly absorbed - only 10-25% of iron supplements are absorbed and the rest is unmetabolised in the gut, which can drive gut dysfunction, constipation and inflammation.

    • Research shows that high doses of 60mg or more are associated with lower iron absorption on the following day. A medical study states “iron supplements at doses of 60 mg or higher increase hepcidin for up to 24 hours and are associated with lower iron absoprtion on the following day”. PMID: 26289639.

      • Elevit contains iron in the form of Ferrous Fumarate, which is the most likely iron supplement to cause gastrointestinal effects including constipation.

      • Elevit contains a daily dose of iron at 60 mg per day.

      • I use high quality iron supplements in doses of 20-40 mg every second day for optimal absorption, and in a high quality form such as iron biglyinate, for optimal absorption with the least side effects.

  • Choline - an important nutrient for foetal brain health and development.

    • Research shows low maternal choline levels have been linked to depression, stress and pre-eclampsia.

      • Elevit does not contain choline

      • I often recommend at least 100 mg of choline a day for preconception and pregnancy care.

I hope this gives you more understanding of why quality and dose matters.

If you’d like support with preconception or fertility, you can book the fertility program here.

If you’d like support with your pregnancy or postpartum care, you can book a consultation here.

Please know that this information is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or a personal prescription. I cannot recommend a prenatal multivitamin for you without a consultation with your full case history and medical history. For this reason, it is best to speak to your health practitioner or book an appointment with me.

 
Olivia McFadyen