Pregnancy poisoning, or preeclampsia, is probably one of the most serious complications of pregnancy, due to the risk of miscarriages, but also other dangerous symptoms. However, small doses of 1 gram calcium seem to prevent pregnancy poisening.
Preeclampsia has many names: EPH-gestosis (edema, proteinuria, hypertension), pregnancy intoxication, or pregnancy toxicosis. All these terms refer to the dangers that can occur during pregnancy, especially in first-time mothers or pregnant women over 35.
Preeclampsia affects about 5 to 7% of pregnant women.
Often unnoticed at first…
The beginning can be quite slow to occur. The legs swell up a little. Proteins in the urine ensure that it foams. Blood pressure is rising. Other symptoms include dizziness and headaches, drowsiness, vision problems such as flickering, nausea and vomiting, which are initially not life-threatening for either mother or child. About 5 to 7% of pregnant women in our Europe are affected.
… can overturn pre-eclampsia
When pre-eclampsia turns into regular eclampsia – mainly in the last trimester of pregnancy – it becomes dangerous. Massive cramps, unconsciousness, partial organ failure and placental insufficiency can occur. The rise in blood pressure in particular is considered a risk factor for premature births or permanent damage to newborns.
A daily dose of 1g calcium lowered blood pressure and the risk of pre-eclampsia in studies.
Studies with calcium
First, a meta-analysis of South African researchers evaluated the effects of an additional dose of calcium. This study consisted of comparing the findings of different smaller studies and looking for possible similarities, and 13 studies with a total of 15,730 participants were also included. The results were significant.
In one study, the pregnant test subjects received a daily dose of 1g calcium. Positive effects had been observed in lowering blood pressure and lowering the pre-eclampsia rate. Researchers could not identify adequately the reasons for this. However, there is a connection between preeclampsia and the lowering of blood pressure, as the pharmacological way of treating high blood pressure is to administer calcium channel blockers, which inhibit the activity of calcium.
The answer could be that women with low calcium intake benefit from the additional dose through their diet. This is true not only with pre-eclampsia, but also in a positive sense for general health. Calcium is found naturally in milk, yoghurt, or cheese, but also in green vegetables such as kale or broccoli. Further information on the micronutrient calcium can be found in the review article here.
On the safe side
The recommendations for daily calcium intake are quite different. The World Health Organization (WHO) speaks of 1.5-2 grams per day. The recommended values in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are only 1 gram.
Another problem is that orally supplemented calcium does not have to end up in the blood for a long time, because the key factor is the intestinal absorption capacity for calcium. If this is exhausted, then additional calicum is excreted in the stool. However, this exhaustive capacity cannot be measured.
All these factors make it unclear regarding the size of the ideal dose, how the interplay with the intestine works, among other things. We can therefore look forward to new study results that will address these questions. What seems harmless, however, are low doses of 0.5-0.6 g per day in pregnant women.
