Preeclampsia and preterm birth are common and potentially fatal complications of pregnancy. In a breakthrough study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, researchers have found that low-dose calcium supplementation may be just as effective as the high-dose regimen recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Previous research has shown that calcium supplementation can reduce the risk of preeclampsia by 50% and decrease the likelihood of preterm birth by 25%. However, this study is the first to directly compare the efficacy of low-dose and high-dose calcium regimens.
The findings have significant implications for healthcare recommendations and policies. Currently, the WHO advises pregnant women with low-calcium diets to take three calcium pills per day. However, this new research suggests that a single 500-milligram pill can provide the same benefits. This revision would not only make it more feasible for women to adhere to the supplementation program, but also reduce costs for governments and public health programs.
To conduct the study, researchers carried out two trials involving a total of 22,000 pregnant women in India and Tanzania. All participants received monthly supplies of calcium supplementation starting from less than 20 weeks into their pregnancy. They were assigned either a low-dose regimen of one 500-milligram pill per day or a high-dose regimen of three 500-milligram pills per day. The women’s health was closely monitored throughout their pregnancies and after delivery.
The results showed that the incidence of preeclampsia was similar between the low-dose and high-dose groups. Furthermore, while the findings on preterm birth were slightly varied, when the data from both trials were combined, there was no significant difference between the two regimens.
This study provides solid evidence for the effectiveness of low-dose calcium supplementation in preventing preeclampsia and adds weight to the argument for revising the current WHO recommendation. By implementing this simpler and more cost-effective approach, thousands of maternal and newborn lives can be saved.
It’s important to note that the study had some limitations, such as the absence of a placebo group and the specific demographics of the participants. Nevertheless, these findings are a promising step towards improving maternal and infant health worldwide.
The study has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
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