WASHINGTON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Vitamin C and E supplements cannot help prevent the development of preeclampsia, a late pregnancy complication that can be lethal to both mother and baby, showed a study appearing on Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

    In the study, 935 first-time mothers took 1,000 mg of vitamin Cand 400 IUs of vitamin E each day until they gave birth, while the 942 others took dummy pills. The expectant mothers were not allowed to take other over-the-counter supplements except for routine prenatal multivitamin that contains about 70 mg of vitamin C and 15 IUs of vitamin E.

    The extra vitamins produced no difference in the incidence of preeclampsia in the two groups, with each group reporting a rate of about 6 percent in mothers, and 10 percent in babies, researchers led by those from the University of Adelaide reported.

    The study also found supplements takers had higher rates of high blood pressure and hospitalization. But the results were not statistically significant.

    Previous studies on the same topic produced mixed results.

    Preeclampsia happens when vessels in the mother's womb constrict, blocking blood and oxygen to the fetus. It can lead to high blood pressure and other problems in pregnant women, sometimes killing both mother and baby. The condition kills about 76,000 women and babies a year around the world, and is a leading cause of death among pregnant women in developing countries.

    Arun Jeyabalan and Steve Caritis of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who were outside the study, disputed the health effects of vitamin C and E supplements in an accompanying editorial on the Journal.

    They recommended against prescribing high doses of those vitamins for pregnant women as part of routine practice before data gathered from further studies. Enditem