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| POSTED 12/11/2006 |
Multivitamin Intake Reduces Risk of
High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
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A study recently conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that women who take multivitamins when they become pregnant are less likely to suffer from preeclampsia, also known as toxemia.
A form of high blood pressure that usually occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy, preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal death during childbirth and is responsible for approximately 15 percent of premature births in the United States. The condition increases urine protein levels and causes fluid retention in the hands and the feet.
The new study followed 1,835 pregnant women. Among those who did not take multivitamins, 4.4 percent developed preeclampsia, compared with 3.8 percent who took at least one multivitamin a week before conception and one a week in the early months of pregnancy, a 13 percent decrease in risk. For women who were not overweight, the risk dropped even more – to 28 percent.
The study’s findings were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Date Posted: December 11, 2006
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