Multivitamins May Lower Preeclampsia Risk

Results from a large study show that regular use of a multivitamin supplement in the months before and during pregnancy may reduce the risk of preeclampsia by as much as 71%.
Read more about this research below.

Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy associated with high blood pressure and excessive swelling of arms and legs. If untreated, the condition can progress to eclampsia, a condition characterized by seizures, coma, and possible death of the mother or child. In a recent study, lean women who used multivitamins before and during their pregnancies had their risk of preeclampsia reduced by 45-71 percent.

Research included 1,835 pregnant women enrolled in the Pregnancy Exposures and Preeclampsia Prevention Study. All women were at less than 16 weeks' gestation and were asked whether they regularly used multivitamins or prenatal vitamins in the past six months. Women that reported use of a multivitamin or prenatal during the previous six months had a 45 percent lower risk of preeclampsia than non-users. The reduction in risk was more significant among lean women. When lean women were analyzed separately, those who used multivitamins had a 71 percent lower risk of preeclampsia than nonusers.

These results suggest that regular use of a multivitamin supplement in the months before and during pregnancy may help prevent preeclampsia, particularly among lean women.

Bodnar LM, et al. Periconceptional multivitamin use reduces the risk of preeclampsia. 2006. Am J Epidemiol 164(5):470-7.

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Prediabetes and Prehypertension

A recently published study showed that adults with low vitamin D levels had more than double the risk of prehypertension and prediabetes than adults with higher vitamin D levels.

Prediabetes and prehypertension have been associated with low vitamin D levels. In a recent issue of the journal Diabetes Care, scientists report a correlation between reduced vitamin D levels and prediabetes and prehypertension in adults. Both prediabetes and prehypertension are estimated to exist in at least one-fourth of disease-free adults. 

Researchers analyzed data from 898 men and 813 women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001-2006. Blood pressure measurements were obtained during examinations conducted upon enrollment, and blood samples were evaluated for glucose, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other factors.


Prediabetes was defined as having a fasting serum glucose of between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter, and prehypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mmHg. Prediabetes was 33 percent higher among those with vitamin D levels of 76.3 nmol/l (30.5 ng/ml) or less compared to those with higher levels. Prehypertension was evident in 61 percent of those with the lower vitamin D levels. Participants with undiagnosed diabetes and untreated hypertension had even lower vitamin D levels on average. Serum vitamin D levels tended to decline with increasing age and body mass.

When the risk of having both conditions was considered, those with low vitamin D levels had 2.4 times the risk of that experienced by subjects with higher vitamin D levels.  

It is reasonable that among those with prediabetes or prehypertension, vitamin D supplementation resulting in increased serum vitamin D levels may help reverse subtle changes in fasting serum glucose and resting blood pressure that may lead to more advanced disease states. 

Alok K. Gupta, MD, Meghan M. Brashear, MPH and William D. Johnson, PHD. Prediabetes and Prehypertension in Healthy Adults Are Associated With Low Vitamin D Levels. Diabetes Care March 2011 vol. 34 no. 3 658-660.

High Fiber Intake Reduces Risk of Heart Disease

High dietary fiber intake, especially from a variety of sources, is related to a reduction in many cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Increased dietary fiber intake is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The results of a study published in the December 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition added unique insight to the growing body of evidence linking higher dietary fiber intake with reduced risk of heart disease.

Data was collected from roughly 2,500 men and 3,500 women (5,961 total). These individuals were already participating in the SU.VI.MAX Study, a trial designed to evaluate the effect of antioxidants on cancer and heart disease incidence over an eight year period. Participants from this study were selected because the SU.VI.MAX Study already required detailed dietary information, making it easy to estimate fiber intakes for the participants.

Higher total and insoluble dietary fiber intakes were associated with reductions in the risks of elevated waist-to-hip ratio (a marker of obesity), hypertension (high blood pressure), plasma apolipoprotein B (LDL cholesterol), apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A-I ratio (LDL to HDL ratio), triacylglycerols, and homocysteine. Fiber from cereals was associated with a lower body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and homocysteine concentration; fiber from vegetables with a lower blood pressure and homocysteine concentration; and fiber from fruit with a lower waist-to-hip ratio and blood pressure. Fiber from dried fruit or nuts and seeds was associated with a lower body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and fasting apo B and glucose concentrations.

The findings of this study illustrate the significance of increasing fiber intake from various dietary sources. The results also indicate that 25 grams total dietary fiber per day may be the minimum intake required to attain a significant protective effect against cardiovascular disease, and that total dietary fiber intakes of 30-35 grams/day might provide an even greater protective effect.

Lairon D, Arnault N, Bertrais S, Planells R, Clero E, Hercberg S, Boutron-Ruault MC. Dietary fiber intake and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in French adults. 2005. AJCN 82(6):1185-94.