To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Calcium During Pregnancy Reduces Harmful Blood Lead Levels URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22BBBE.htm Doctor's Guide September 10, 2008
ANN ARBOR, Mich -- September 10, 2008 -- Pregnant women who take high levels of daily calcium supplements show a marked reduction in lead levels in their blood, suggesting calcium could play a critical role in reducing fetal and infant exposure, according to a study in the September issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. The study, led by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, showed that women who take 1,200 mg of calcium daily have up to a 31% reduction in lead levels. "We, and others, have previously shown that during pregnancy, mothers can transfer lead from their bones to their unborn [children] with significant adverse consequences, making maternal bone lead stores a threat even if current environmental lead exposures are low," said lead author Howard Hu, MD, University of Michigan. "This study demonstrates that dietary calcium supplementation during pregnancy may constitute a low-cost and low-risk approach for reducing this threat." The researchers conducted a randomised study examining calcium supplementation on lead levels in 557 pregnant women from the Mexican Social Security Institute prenatal clinics, which treat the low to moderate income population of Mexico City. All women were in their first trimester and roughly half were assigned calcium while the other half received a placebo. The study showed that reductions in blood lead levels were more evident in the second trimester at 14% than in the third trimester at 8%. The most compliant group of women in the study (those who consumed greater than 75% of the assigned 1,200 mg doses of calcium per day) showed a 24% decrease. Women in the most compliant group who also reported using lead glazed ceramics and had the highest bone lead levels saw the greatest reduction of 31%. "The bottom line is that obstetricians and paediatricians should consider adding calcium supplementation to the prenatal vitamins normally recommended in pregnant women, particularly if their patients have a significant history of environmental or occupational lead exposure," said Dr. Hu. SOURCE: University of Michigan --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.