Pregnancy tips Calcium Helps Prevent Pre-eclampsia

Calcium was one of the supplements I took when I was pregnant. I had heard that it was a good idea to either take a calcium supplement or eat calcium rich foods because the baby needs calcium to build their bones and they'll take it from the mother's bones if she doesn't get enough through her diet. Well, it turns out, calcium has other benefits too - like preventing pre-eclampsia. Read more:

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From the article:

Calcium supplementation during pregnancy can reduce the incidence of pregnancy complications, more specifically preeclampsia related, reports a study published by American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related complication characterized by elevated blood pressure and proteinuria (high levels of protein in the urine). Swelling of the feet, hands and legs is usually seen. If left unattended, the condition can worsen further resulting in seizures. Under worst conditions, it can result in death of the pregnant mother and the baby, before, after or during childbirth.

About 8,300 pregnant women, about their 20th week of pregnancy were recruited for the study. All the women had inadequate level of calcium supplementation owing to a poor diet (<50% of the recommended calcium intake). It is recommended that pregnant women receive about 1000 to 1300 mg of calcium on a daily basis, either through diet or supplements.

The study participants from Vietnam, Argentina, Egypt, India, South Africa and Peru were randomly provided with either calcium tablets (1500 mg of calcium carbonate) in a chewable form or a placebo.

Both the control and experimental group had comparable rates of preeclampsia (4.5 Vs 4.1% respectively). The incidence of complication related to preeclampsia, was however found to be lower in those who had consumed the calcium supplement. Furthermore, young women on calcium supplementation were found to have a reduced risk of premature delivery.