A new study recently has revealed that women who consume more calcium and zinc three months before getting pregnant are less likely to experience hypertension during pregnancy as compared to those who consume less essential minerals. Hypertension is a prevalent pregnancy disorder and poses significant risks to the mother and developing fetus. Researchers are focusing on preventing disorders that are related to hypertension such as pre-eclampsia by changing some factors like nutrition because some antihypertensive medications affect mother’s and baby’s health badly. Â
This research was recently presented at NUTRITION 2024. It is the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. In this study, researchers used data of 7700 pregnant women in the United States. These women were participated in “Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-To-Be.” These women shared information about their health and nutrition. Researchers conducted two studies, one was focused on calcium and the other was focused on zinc. They mainly wanted to understand how the amount of these minerals consumed before getting pregnant is related to the likelihood of developing hypertension during pregnancy. They also focused on some other factors that are related to hypertension such as their age, overall health and lifestyle. Â
When researchers observed the collected data, they found that women who consumed more calcium before getting pregnant had a 24% lower chance of having high blood pressure during pregnancy compared to those who consumed less calcium. On the other hand, those who consumed more zinc before getting pregnant had a 38% lower chance of having high blood pressure during pregnancy compared to those who consumed less zinc. This clearly shows that it is very important to focus on nutrition before getting pregnant. Â
Researchers of this study said that the health of women before getting pregnant is important for having a healthy pregnancy. Eating enough nutrients and minerals before getting pregnant can help the body fix deficiencies or imbalances. It can also help women with getting pregnant and supporting the healthy growth and proper development of the baby.Â
The results of this study clearly show that higher intakes of calcium and zinc before getting pregnant reduce the risk of hypertension. Hence healthcare professionals should consider these findings and suggest it to those women who want to get pregnant. This study is very important as it can reduce the risk of many health complications that are caused by hypertension during pregnancy. Â
