High Doses of Vitamins Won’t Prevent Pregnancy Complications
According to a recent study, women taking 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E – much higher doses than in most prenatal multivitamins – were no less likely to develop the potentially deadly pregnancy complication known as preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia is characterized by high blood pressure, protein and the urine, and swelling. The complications of this condition can be severe and even fatal for both mother and child.
The study found that women taking higher doses of these vitamins had a higher risk of developing other pregnancy complications. Past studies have suggested that women taking those taking very high doses of vitamins C and E were 10 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy than volunteers taking placebo pills.
Researchers reviewed nine studies including nearly 20,000 women to suggest that women concerned about their risk of preeclampsia not take vitamin E and vitamin C. Some past studies have found a connection between vitamin C deficiency and an elevated risk of preterm birth, including those caused by what’s known as premature rupture of membranes — where a woman’s “water breaks” before the pregnancy has reached full-term and labor has begun. The current study found that found that 9.6 percent of women overall developed preeclampsia, regardless of whether they received extra doses of C and E or a placebo drug.