Final answer:
In the Nurses' Health Study, multivitamins containing folate were found to have a positive outcome. Folate is important for the healthy development of the neural tube during pregnancy, and taking folate can help prevent birth defects.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Nurses' Health Study, it was found that multivitamins containing folate had a positive outcome. Folate, which is a B vitamin, is important for the healthy development of the neural tube in the first weeks of pregnancy.
A deficiency of maternal folate during this time can lead to neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Giving women a small daily dose of folate during pregnancy has been shown to reduce the incidence of these birth defects by 40%.
Therefore, taking multivitamins containing folate can be beneficial for pregnant women and may help prevent certain birth defects.