Ingredients in Major Prenatal Tablets are approved and the product is safe. 

Major prenatal tablets are dietary supplements designed to support the nutritional needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy. They provide essential vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin E, along with important minerals to promote maternal health and fetal development. However, recently social media claims about major prenatal tablets are seen going viral. Users are claiming that it contains various harmful ingredients like a lot of sweeteners and dyes, silicon dioxide, and preservatives. 

After researching, ChatGPT found that this is a false claim. All the ingredients mentioned in major prenatal tablets labels are safe and have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies.

What’s the claim? 

Social media users are claiming that major prenatal tablets contain sweetness, dyes, silicon dioxide, and preservatives. These ingredients are carcinogenic, endocrine disruptor, and gut biome disruptors, and also affect the growth of the baby and put them in a harmful state.

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Fact Check- 

First, we saw the label of major prenatal tablets provided in the post. The label contains a lot of ingredients, so we segregated the ingredients like sweeteners, dyes, preservatives, etc.

We found that ingredients like sucrose, maltodextrin, polydextrose are considered sweeteners. Red 40-lake, yellow 6-lake, and titanium dioxide are dyes and BHT, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, and vitamin C are preservatives.

Let’s check the safety of each of the above mentioned ingredients. 

Sweeteners:

Sucrose- Sucrose has been listed in Inactive Ingredient Database (IID) by the Food and Drugs Administration. It has been an ingredient in many drugs and injections. According to a study, researchers found that sugar (sucrose) and salts (sodium chloride and trisodium citrate) affect drug release from tablets made with Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC). It was found that sugar and salts helps the HPMC to hold less water and speeds up the drug release.

Maltodextrin: According to the International Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences review, maltodextrin is considered a safe and non-toxic excipient widely used in pharmaceutical formulations. It does not interfere with the activity of drugs. It is used in pharmaceutical companies because of its free-flowing nature, water solubility, film-forming ability and heat stability. It is also considered as a reliable and harmless ingredient. 

According to another report, in pharmaceutical companies maltodextrins are used in chewable tablets, as binders in tablet making, as coating materials, and as stabilizers in certain drug systems. It is also used to improve the texture, stability and quality of medicines. 

However, if too much maltodextrin is consumed, it may lead to high blood sugar which can result in high cholesterol, weight gain and type-2 diabetes. Research also suggests it may disturb gut bacteria by reducing good bacteria and helping harmful ones grow.

From the above facts it is clear that drugs containing Maltodextrin are safe when consumed within limit and as prescribed by the physicians. 

Red 40 Lake: The FDA allows FD&C Red No. 40 and its aluminum lakes to be safely used for coloring medicines, including those applied near the eyes, as long as they follow good manufacturing practices. Other Red No. 40 lakes are also permitted under the same rules.

Yellow 6 Lake: The FDA permits FD&C Yellow No. 6 to be safely used for coloring medicines, as long as it is used in amounts that follow good manufacturing practices. Any mixtures made with it must contain other approved safe ingredients, and the product labels must follow FDA labeling rules. 

Titanium Dioxide: The FDA allows titanium dioxide to be used as a color additive in foods, medicines, and cosmetics. It is permanently approved and does not need batch-by-batch testing. In medicines, it is commonly added to capsules, tablets, and syrups to make them white, opaque, and look better. Some concerns exist about the presence of Titanium Dioxide’s nanoparticles but FDA considers it safe in food and medicines when used as directed. 

In the European Union, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) was banned in food in 2022, but it is still allowed in medicines. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reviewed it and found that TiO₂ is important for the quality and safety of many medicines, and there are no good alternatives right now.

In 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union overturned the European Commission’s decision to classify titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as a possible carcinogen. The court found that the scientific study used to support the classification was flawed because it did not consider how TiO₂ particles tend to clump together and how it affects their behavior in the lungs.

BHT: As per FDA report, BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) is approved for use in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industry as an antioxidant., provided it meets a purity level of at least 99%. It can be used alone or combined with BHA. For the safety of the consumers, its concentration has been limited to specific levels in different foods products, such as 50 ppm in dry breakfast cereals and potato flakes, 10 ppm in potato granules, and up to 200 ppm in emulsion stabilizers for shortenings. FDA has ordered strict guidelines such as labels for products containing BHT must clearly state its presence, and if mixed with a carrier, the percentage must also be disclosed to ensure safety and transparency.

According to the National Toxicology Program, for 2 long years, rats and mice were fed BHT. Researchers did not find any trace of cancer in both male and female test subjects. Some female mice given low doses showed lung tumors. As these tumors didn’t follow a consistent dose-related pattern the researchers concluded that BHT wasn’t the cause.

Sorbic Acid: This substance is generally recognized as safe when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed sorbic acid (E200), potassium sorbate (E202), and calcium sorbate (E203) as food additives in 2015. They set a temporary acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 3 mg per kilogram of body weight per day for sorbic acid. The panel recommended more studies on reproductive health to confirm the ADI. 

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. All the preservatives, sweeteners and dyes used in Major Prenatal Tablets have been approved and the product is safe to use as prescribed by the physician.