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Pregnancy Notes

see also breastfeeding and folic acid and pregnancy food pyramid and research posters on pregnancy

Science 308: 1592 (10 June 2005) Latest Advances in Understanding Preeclampsia, Redman CW and IL Sargent

"Preeclampsia is a potentially dangerous complication of the second half of pregnancy...characterized by hypertension, abnormal amounts of protein in the urine, and otehr systemic disturbances. The condition affectds about 2.5 to 3.0% of women....There are two broad categories, maternal and placental. In placental preeclampsia, the problem arises from a placenta that is under hypoxic conditions with oxidative stress."

Effect of antioxidants on the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in women at increased risk: a randomised trial - Lucy C Chappell et al, Lancet 354:810-816

"283 women were identified as being at increased risk of pre-eclampsia ... and were randomly assigned vitamin C (1000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU/day) or placebo at 16–22 weeks' gestation. ...Supplementation with vitamins C and E was associated with a 21% decrease in the PAI-1/PAI-2 ratio during gestation ...Supplementation with vitamins C and E may be beneficial in the prevention of pre-eclampsia in women at increased risk of the disease."

Theresa O Scholl, Maria Leskiw, Xinhua Chen, Melissa Sims, and T Peter Stein Oxidative stress, diet, and the etiology of preeclampsia Am J Clin Nutr 2005 81: 1390-1396

Conclusions: Increased urinary excretion of isoprostane and decreased antioxidant production is an imbalance that is consistent with oxidative stress, and it precedes clinical recognition of preeclampsia. The maternal diet is an underlying factor that provides an environment for free radical generation.

FROM LINUS PAULING DIET AND OPTIMAL HEALTH MEETING MAY 18-22, 2005
For those with patience, here are my notes from one of the best professional meetings for M.D. and Ph.D. professionals involved in nutrition professionally. They have not been edited, and are slowly moving on to the appropriate web pages of Nutrition Investigator. Any mistakes are my own, but I have done my best to capture relevant exciting information I learned at this conference.

J Nutr 2002:132: 2401S - Maternal nutrition affects offspring genetically. This means that nutrition of the pregnant woman can affect the genetic composition of the offspring throughout an entire lifetime, as a consequence of turning on and off genes throughout life once the baby is born.

Theresa O Scholl Iron status during pregnancy: setting the stage for mother and infant Am J Clin Nutr 2005 81: 1218S-1222S

…iron supplements and increased iron stores have recently been linked to maternalcomplications (eg, gestational diabetes) and increased oxidative stress during pregnancy. Consequently, while iron supplementation may improve pregnancy outcome when the mother is iron deficient it is also possible that prophylactic supplementation may increase risk when the mother does not have iron deficiency or IDA…

[fish oil and folate from gestation week 22 necessary for optimum health] Effects of fish-oil and folate supplementation of pregnant women on maternal and fetal plasma concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid: a European randomized multicenter trial "Pregnant women usually meet their increased energy needs but do not always meet their increased micronutrient requirements. The supply of both folic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been related to positive pregnancy and infant outcomes...Conclusions: FO supplementation from gestation week 22 until delivery improves fetal n–3 LC-PUFA status and attenuates depletion of maternal stores. MTHF may further enhance maternal n–3 LC-PUFA proportions."