International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The risk of pre-eclampsia is higher in women who have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood, a new study has found.

This could suggest that the vitamin plays a role in the pregnancy complication, which can lead to premature birth or even death, according to the study, reported by Reuters.

Researchers, who published their findings in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, found vitamin D levels among 50 women with severe pre-eclampsia were generally lower than those of 100 healthy pregnant women.

The average vitamin D level in the first group was 18 nanograms per ml, compared with 32 per ml in the second group.

However, the findings are not conclusive about whether lower levels of vitamin D contribute to the early onset of severe pre-eclampsia.

Vitamin D is found in only a small number of foods. Good sources of the vitamin are oily fish and eggs, while other foods such as margarine, breakfast cereals and powdered milk also contain it.

Posted by Martine Ward