Women who have high levels of vitamin E in their blood during pregnancy tend to give birth to heavier babies, a new study suggests. The conclusions suggest that vitamin E may have a more significant impact on fetal growth than was previously believed.
During the study, over 1,200 pregnant women were monitored for their vitamin E levels during their 28th week of pregnancy. What they found was that among the women with highest levels of vitamin E, the birth weight of their babies was highest. They also found these women were three times less likely to have low birth weight babies than those with the lowest concentration of vitamin E.
However, the scientists did say it was not clear that the vitamin E levels were not a marker of other factors that promote fetal development, such as a healthy diet. They also said they are as yet not recommending pregnant women take any additional vitamin E than that which is contained in prenatal vitamins. In fact, they say excessive levels of vitamin E have actually been linked to pregnancy complications, such as low birth weight babies.
Source: IOL.co.za
