Folic Acid and Iron Crucial for Pregnant Women

While most American women know that taking folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy is essential for healthy children, they probably don't know that folic acid, combined with iron supplements, may make children smarter.

According to recent research, mothers in Nepal who took iron and folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy gave birth to children with greater cognitive and motor skills than those who had children without taking prenatal supplements. The children whose mothers had received prenatal supplements also showed higher reasoning skills and enhanced inhibitory control when compared to their peers.

The study points to a need for better prenatal care in developing nations. "We need effective, low-cost prental programs that can be implemented at the community level," said Laura Murray-Kolb, assistant professor at Penn State University and adjunct associate professor at Johns Hopkins University. "A lot of these women are not seeing physicians."

She believes education is key and that health care workers in developing countries need to be made aware of the importance of prenatal care and nutrition.

But the problem doesn't exist solely in developing nations.

"Women are getting the message about prenatals," Murray-Kolb said, "but they tend to become more lax about it as pregnancy progresses." And that's not a good thing. While folic acid supplements are most important before and during the early months of pregnancy, iron supplementation is most critical at the end.

The World Health Organization estimates that in developing countries, some 50 percent of pregnant women are anemic.

Find out more about the benefits of healthy eating during pregnancy at AOL Health.