CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTATION DURING PREGNANCY FOR REDUCING PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION

Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) is a common complication in pregn ancy and prenatal stage. Because the direct and indirect relationship between low calcium intake and many diseases, such as rachitis, young age myopia and hypertension, calcium supplementation has been a hot to pic among nutritionists, Randomized trials of calcium supplementation during pregnancy were conducted in 212 healthy primipara. They were di vided into 4 groups and pave 120mg, 240mg, Ig or 2g of calcium daily f rom 20 to 28wks of gestation up to delivery respectively. As a result, the incidence of PIH was 8.9%, 7.5%, 8% and 4% respectively in these groups, The control group (106 pregnant women) who did not receive cal cium gave an incidence of 18%. Supplementation of 2g of calcium daily showed significant resutls in lowering the incidence of PM (P<0.05) wi thout any adverse effects. In 1992 calcium supplementation was widely used in antenatal clinic. 200 cases with intake of 2g calcium were com pared with corresponding non-calcium supplementation cases, and the in cidence of PIH was 7.5% and 16.5% (P< 0.005) respectively. Mediating p arathyroid hormone and renin activity are thought to be the effect of calcium on decreasing the incidence of PIH,