GENEVA, Switzerland--Supplementation of calcium-deficient pregnant women with calcium may attenuate preeclampsia and lowers incidence of preterm delivery, maternal morbidity and neonatal mortality, according to a study from the World Health Organization (Am J Obstet Gynecol, 194, 3:639-49, 2006).
In the randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial, researchers administered 1.5 g/d calcium or placebo to 8,325 nulliparous, normotensive women with less than 20 weeks of gestation and dietary calcium intakes of less than 600 mg/d, throughout each woman's pregnancy. Primary outcomes were preeclampsia and preterm delivery; secondary outcomes focused on severe morbidity and maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Calcium supplementation was associated with a non-statistically significant, small reduction in preeclampsia and a significantly lower incidence of eclampsia and severe gestational hypertension, and an overall reduction in the severe preeclamptic complications index. In addition, women given calcium had a reduced severe maternal morbidity and mortality index, as well as lower incidence of preterm and early preterm delivery and neonatal mortality rate.
The researchers concluded 1.5 g/d of calcium reduced severity of preeclampsia and lowered incidence of maternal morbidity and neonatal mortality.
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