Vitamins E and C reduce preeclampsia risk 76%
Vitamins E and C reduce preeclampsia risk 76%
To date there are no known preventive measures for preeclampsia (hypertensive conditions leading to convulsions following delivery). However, researchers find that natural vitamin E and vitamin C supplements during pregnancy dramatically reduce the risk. Even women with a history of the problem benefit from the intervention, according to clinical scientists based at St. Thomas Hospital in London.1
Preeclampsia often results in complicated deliveries or low birth weight babies. The exact cause of the condition is unknown.
In the trial, subjects received a combination of 400 IU of natural (d-alpha tocopherol) vitamin E and 1,000 mg of vitamin C per day beginning in the fourth to fifth months of pregnancy. A control group received placebos.
The women were monitored for the preeclampsia clues, high blood pressure, swelling and appearance of protein in the urine.
Authors of the study note that, "supplementation throughout the second half of pregnancy, with vitamins C and E, in women at increased risk of preeclampsia, had significant beneficial effects on biochemical markers of the disease, and there was a significant reduction in the proportion of women with preeclampsia." The risk of preeclampsia was 76% lower for the study group. The study did not address the precise mechanisms by which the vitamins function.
Although this trial points clinicians toward a promising preventive intervention to preeclampsia, the investigators stress that more answers are needed: Optimum dosage, timing of the intervention and longer-term follow-up of the infants.
Reference
1. Chappell LC, Seed PT, Briley AL, et al. Effect of antioxidants on the occurrence of preeclampsia in women at increased risk: A randomised trial. Lancet 1999; 354:810-816.
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