Dear WDDTY:

May I comment on the the significance of the recently published study (in WDDTY Vol 6 no 1) that "routine iron supplements in pregnancy are unnecessary" and that a "striking association was seen between Hb levels in the blood and pre-term delivery as well as low birth weight: the higher the Hb blood level, the lower the birth weight and the higher the incidence of pre-term delivery" .

The authors conclude that the "widely seen drop in iron blood levels in pregnant women is perfectly normal, signifying good expansion in blood volume, not anemia." They also noted that pre-eclampsia is much more common in women whose Hb level fails to fall in pregnancy.

How lamentable that it took the publication of the potential side-effects on fetus and mother to remind us that the consumption of these substances, extracted from their complex, original source, is a dangerous practice based on a shallow philosophy. Mervyn Waldman, ND, DO, MRO, Jerusalem......

WDDTY replies: See our story about vitamin K this month (this page) for more evidence of why all interventions, even so-called harmless measures like adding vitamins, need to be subjected to scientific scrutiny.