10 February 2014
According to a new US study women with low vitamin D levels in the first 26 weeks of their pregnancy may be at risk of developing severe preeclampsia, posing a high health risk to the mother and child.
The observational study analyzed blood vitamin D concentrations of 700 pregnant women who later deve- loped preeclampsia and of 3,000 mothers who did not develop a complication during pregnancy (1). The study results showed that a sufficient vitamin D level was associated with a 40% reduction in risk of severe (but not mild) preeclampsia.
The researchers commented that vitamin D has diverse functions in the body beyond maintaining bone and muscle health, including actions that may be important for maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Further explo- ring the role of vitamin D in reducing the risk of preeclampsia is warranted. Severe and mild preeclampsia are thought to have different root causes. Preeclampsia is a condition characterized by high blood pressure and significant amounts of protein in the urine of a pregnant woman.
9 June 2011
According to a new Canadian review, doses of at least 250 milligrams per day of omega-3 fatty acids are required to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death and other heart conditions.
3 March 2016
A retrospective study of a cohort of 124 patients with stress fractures of the foot showed that 83% of them had circulating serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 40 ng/mL. These results suggest that active patients at higher risk of stress factures may require a higher vitamin D intake than the average individual.
25 April 2012
Supplementation with vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure, with even greater benefits for people with hypertension, says a new data analysis from the US.
