Diet against pregnancy complications

Vitamins plus amino acids reduce the risk of pregnancy complications

23/05/2011

Through a special diet, women can prevent pre-eclampsia (pregnancy complications) during pregnancy, according to a Mexican / US research team in the current issue of the „British Medical Journey“. By taking vitamins and a certain amino acid, the risk of pre-eclampsia is significantly reduced during pregnancy, write Felipe Vadillo-Ortega of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and colleagues.

On average, between five and seven percent of women in developed countries suffer from pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, explain the researchers. Especially pregnant women with high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes and obesity as well as first-time mothers and women over the age of 35 years are affected by the serious pregnancy complications, with preeclampsia, among other things, often cause premature birth. By supplementing with detoxifying vitamins and the amino acid L-arginine, however, the risk of pre-eclampsia can be prevented relatively efficiently, reports the research team led by Felipe Vadillo-Ortega.

Amino acid and vitamins in use against preeclampsia
Assuming that the amino acid L-arginine could have a pre-eclampsia-preventive effect, as it has a positive effect on blood flow during pregnancy, the researchers tested the use of the amino acid as a dietary supplement. In parallel, detoxifying vitamins, so-called antioxidants, were used to investigate their effect in conjunction with the amino acid L-arginine. The researchers divided more than 650 pregnant women into three groups in a hospital in Mexico City, where there was a proven high risk of pre-eclampsia, as part of their study. The first group, from the 20th week of gestation until birth, received food bars containing L-arginine and antioxidants (vitamins) as a supplement. The second group received bars that had only vitamins without the corresponding amino acid and the bars of the third group, were enriched with neither vitamins nor L-arginine. The participants of the third group served as a control group during the examination.

Significant reduction in the risk of pregnancy complications
In the study, researchers found that 30.2 percent of pregnant women in the non-food group developed pre-eclampsia. Much better were the participants of the group with the vitamin bars there. Of them, only 22.5 percent fell preeclampsia. However, among the pregnant women, whose bars contained both vitamins and the amino acid L-arginine, only 12.7 percent of high-risk patients had pre-eclampsia, the researchers report in the journal „British Medical Journey“. Thus, the risk of pre-eclampsia by taking the amino acid and vitamins can be significantly reduced, the scientists write. Felipe Vadillo-Ortega added: „This is a relatively simple and inexpensive method to reduce the risk of preeclampsia.“ Not only the risk of illness but also the number of premature births was significantly reduced by the combination of amino acid and vitamins.

Health impairments due to preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is characterized mainly by edema, hypertension and proteinuria (protein excretion in the urine). But also symptoms such as dizziness and headache, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting may be associated with the pregnancy complications. Not infrequently, the liver is affected. In addition, in severe disease eclampsia, painful cramps, which can bring massive health impairments, a possible side effect of preeclampsia. The consequences of eclampsia range from loss of consciousness to kidney failure and coma of the affected patients. Similar are the threatening health impairments due to the so-called HELLP syndrome, which also occurs in up to 12 percent of pregnant women with severe pre-eclampsia. However, HELLP syndrome can also cause significant liver damage. According to the experts, pre-eclampsia can be assessed as a serious threat to mother and child as a whole. If the serious pregnancy complication can be remedied by the simple intake of dietary supplements, this would be a considerable relief, especially for the high-risk patients. Therefore, the Mexican and US researchers have decided to review their results in a second study. The scientists also want to check whether the amino acid L-arginine can cause such a significant reduction of the pre-eclampsia risk even without the vitamins. (Fp)

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Image: Sonja Graves