Here goes another reason why women should take multivitamins early in pregnancy: it may reduce the risk of the child developing some types of brain tumors.

Pregnant women have already been urged by public health agencies to take folic acid containing-multivitamins in early pregnancy in order to reduce their fetus's risk of developing a neural tube defect such as spina bifida.

According to study leader Greta R. Bunin, Ph.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:

"This current study suggests another possible protective effect for the vitamins. Children whose mothers took multivitamins close to the time of conception seemed less likely to suffer medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the brain."

Childhood brain tumors are fortunately rare. However, medulloblastoma is the second most common brain tumor in children, occurring in one in 20,000 under age six.

Medulloblastoma appears in the cerebellum, the lower portion of the brain, and the area of the brain that coordinates movement. On the other hand, primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the brain (PNET) are similar to medulloblastoma but occur in other parts of the central nervous system.

The researchers found that the protective effect of the multivitamins taken early in pregnancy was found statistically significant but that taking multivitamins later in pregnancy did not significantly reduce the child's risk of medulloblastoma and PNET.

The study appears in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

Find more details from the full report.