WESTPORT, Apr 03 (Reuters) - Daily supplementation with linoleic acid and calcium during the third trimester of pregnancy appears to significantly reduce the risk of preeclampsia in women at high risk for this complication.
In a randomized, controlled study, Dr. Julian A. Herrera and others at the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, found that daily doses of 450 mg linoleic acid and 600 mg calcium raised prostaglandin E2 levels and decreased the ratio of thromboxane B2 to prostaglandin E2 in a sample of 86 primigravidas.
Specifically, prostaglandin E2 decreased by 33% in control women while it increased by more than 100% in treated women during the third trimester of pregnancy. In addition, the thromboxane to prostaglandin ratio decreased by 40% in the treated group while it increased by 18% in controls.
As a result, only 9.3% of women taking the linoleic acid and calcium supplements developed preeclampsia compared with 37.2% of controls. Moreover, the Colombian team reports in the April issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology that "...women who received linoleic acid and calcium diet supplementation delivered infants who weighed on average 124 g more than those born to women with placebo treatment."
Although the findings are "preliminary," Dr. Herrera and others believe that the results support the notion that preeclamptic toxemia is mediated by a balance between thromboxane B2 and prostaglandin E2, and that this balance can be at least partially maintained in women at high risk of preeclampsia through daily supplementation with linoleic acid and calcium during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Obstet Gynecol 1998;91:585-590.
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