Dietary nutrient intake and antioxidant status in preeclamptic women

Preeclampsia (PE) is the most common cause of maternal death in the world. Some studies showed that inadequate intake of foods rich in antioxidant leads to increase oxidative stress and adverting obstetrical outcomes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between antioxidant status and dietary nutrient intake in pregnant women with PE.

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 55 pregnant women with PE admitted in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Isfahan, Iran. The subjects were interviewed about demographic data and dietary intakes by using a 168-items semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of this serum was measured by using a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). Nonparametric correlation statistics were used to meet assumptions of normality and equal variances.

Total antioxidant status was significantly higher in comparison with healthy pregnant women (which measured as pilot). Intake of vitamin E was below the dietary reference intakes, and was positively associated with serum TAC (r = 0.367, P = 0.003), but this correlation was significantly negative about dietary selenium. There wasn't any significant correlation between intake of vitamin C, β-carotene, riboflavin, copper and serum TAC.

Our findings showed that intake of vitamin E was positively associated with serum TAC. Little support was found on a relationship between dietary intakes of other micronutrients and serum TAC. Further research is required to explore the relationships between maternal nutrient intake and antioxidant status in women with PE.