The Importance of Calcium and Zinc During Pregnancy | Expert Medical Clinic

Calcium and zinc intake associated with healthier pregnancy outcomes

According to a new study, people who consumed higher amounts of calcium and zinc during the three months before conception were significantly less likely to experience hypertensive disorders during pregnancy compared with those who consumed lower amounts of these essential minerals.

The findings underscore the importance of focusing on nutrition before conception, rather than only during pregnancy, to promote a healthy pregnancy.

“Our findings highlight the importance of dietary calcium and zinc intake before conception as a potential way to reduce the risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy,” said Liping Lu, MD, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University and is now an associate professor at Ball State University.

“Higher preconception intake of zinc and calcium, obtained through diet and dietary supplements, was associated with a lower risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.”

Lu is presenting the findings at NUTRITION 2024, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, taking place June 29–July 2 in Chicago.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and can harm both the pregnant woman and the developing fetus. Given the potential side effects of antihypertensive medications during pregnancy, researchers have focused on ways to prevent dangerous hypertension-related conditions, such as preeclampsia, through modifiable factors such as nutrition.

Although many people begin paying closer attention to their diet after becoming pregnant, researchers say that a person’s nutritional status before conception is important because the body often needs time to correct deficiencies or imbalances.

“Women’s health during the preconception period is closely linked to pregnancy outcomes,” Lu said. “Adequate stores of nutrients and minerals in the body before conception can help ensure optimal nutritional status at conception and support the early stages of fetal growth and development.”

The researchers conducted two separate studies using data from more than 7,700 pregnant women across the United States who provided information about their health and nutrition as part of a study called the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be.

One study focused on calcium, while the other focused on zinc. The researchers analyzed the association between preconception intake of each mineral and the incidence of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy after accounting for demographic, lifestyle, and health factors that are also associated with hypertension risk.

The results showed that people in the highest quintile of preconception calcium intake had a 24% lower incidence of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy compared with those in the lowest quintile. For zinc, participants were divided into quartiles, and those with the highest preconception zinc intake had a 38% lower likelihood of developing hypertensive disorders during pregnancy than those with the lowest intake.

Regarding the observational nature of the studies, Lu noted that the findings do not necessarily prove a causal relationship. Nevertheless, the results are consistent with other research linking higher intake of these two minerals to a lower risk of hypertension-related conditions outside of pregnancy.

In addition, calcium and zinc are known to play important roles in metabolic processes involved in maintaining healthy blood vessels, providing a plausible biological explanation for the idea that these minerals may help prevent blood pressure disorders.

The recommendations of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggest that women of reproductive age should consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 8 milligrams of zinc daily.