Preeclampsia and Antioxidant Vitamins

Recent reports suggest that free radical-induced endothelial cell injury might be an etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Dr. Nahid Lorzadeh et al, attached to the Gynaecology Department, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, have recently reported that vitamins C and E may protect against preeclampsia by alleviating the overall blood pressure.

Researchers have published the findings in the Journal of Perinatal Medicine.

Preeclampsia is the main cause of perinatal and maternal mortality worldwide, which is tightly related to hypertension, proteinuria, and end-organ disease. Preeclampsia may affect between 2–8% of all pregnancies. It seriously affects maternal health after pregnancy.

Oxidative stress has been regarded as a pathogenic mechanism of this disease. Oxidative stress is commonly brought about by the increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or lack of antioxidants.

Antioxidant vitamins contribute to stabilizing reactive free radicals, which behave as the first defense line against free radicals. Researchers undertook the study to determine the protective effects of vitamins C and E for the prevention of preeclampsia, especially in women having their first issues.

The study included one hundred and sixty nulliparous women aged 18–38 years without any risk factors for preeclampsia who were divided into two groups. The first group received a 400-IU/day dose of vitamin E orally and a 1000-mg/day dose of vitamin C with iron tablets during 20–24 weeks of pregnancy, while the control group received only iron tablets.

Key Findings

• The incidence of preeclampsia in the control group was 17.5% and in the intervention group was 5%, which was significantly different.
• The mean systolic pressures before and after intervention were 99.43 ± 7.8 and 12.44 ± 19.1, respectively, in the control group, and 99.3 ± 8.3 and 106.12 ± 13.25, in the intervention group (P < 0.001).
• The mean diastolic pressures before and after intervention in the control group were 62.7 ± 13.6 and 62.7 ± 4.7 (P < 0.001), respectively.

The study highlighted the fact that Vitamin C and vitamin E are, indeed, common and powerful antioxidants. To be more precise, Vitamin E, an important lipid-soluble antioxidant, is responsible for protecting cells against inflammatory response and lipid peroxidation, which shows regulatory effects on the blood pressure. Further, vitamin C inhibits the constrictor response of those resistance arteries to various stimuli. Proper dietary supplementation of these vitamins can go a long way to protect the health of pregnant women and reduce their mortality rates.

Source: Journal of Perinatal Medicine

For detailed reading log on to https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2019-046