BEIJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Mothers to be who
have low vitamin D levels face a five-fold risk of preeclampsia, a serious
complication during pregnancy which can lead to fetal death, according to a new
study.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools
of the Health Sciences and writing in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism said there was a risk of preeclampsia even with supplementation
of up to 400 International Units (IU).
They found that "Vitamin D supplementation in
early pregnancy should be explored for preventing preeclampsia and promoting
neonatal well-being."
This study adds to an ever-growing weight of the
importance of vitamin D, which has been linked to a host of health benefits,
including improving diabetes, heart health, breast and colon cancer.
"Our results showed that maternal vitamin D
deficiency early in pregnancy is a strong, independent risk factor for
preeclampsia, said lead author Lisa Bodnar. "Women who developed preeclampsia
had vitamin D concentrations that were significantly lower early in pregnancy
compared to women whose pregnancies were normal.
"And even though vitamin D deficiency was common in
both groups, the deficiency was more prevalent among those who went on to
develop preeclampsia," she added.
Preeclampsia is marked by soaring blood pressure and
swelling of the hands and feet, and is the leading cause of premature delivery
and maternal and fetal illness and death worldwide, thought to contribute to
76,000 deaths each year.
Preeclampsia, also known as toxemia, affects up to 7
percent of first pregnancies, and health care costs associated with preeclampsia
are estimated at 7 billion U.S. dollars a year in the United States alone,
according to the Preeclampsia Foundation.
(Agencies)
