Mom's vitamin E linked to fetal growth

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women with high vitamin E levels in their blood may tend to have bigger babies, a new study suggests.

The findings could mean that vitamin E intake during pregnancy is important for fetal growth, the researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. On the other hand, they note, a woman's vitamin E levels could simply be a marker of other factors that promote fetal development -- like a healthful overall diet.

For the study, Dr. Theresa O. Scholl and colleagues at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Stratford followed 1,231 pregnant women. They measured the women's blood concentrations of two forms of vitamin E at the start of the study and again during the 28th week of pregnancy.

Only one form of vitamin E -- alpha-tocopherol, the form used in supplements -- was related to fetal growth, the researchers found. On average, birthweights were highest among the 20 percent of women with the highest alpha-tocopherol levels.

These mothers were also three times less likely to have a smaller-than-average baby than women with the lowest concentrations of the vitamin.

It's possible, according to Scholl's team, that vitamin E directly affects birth size by increasing blood flow and nutrients to the fetus.

However, it's not clear that women should take any extra vitamin E beyond what's in standard prenatal multivitamins. In fact, one recent clinic trial found that large doses of vitamins C and E not only failed to prevent the pregnancy complication pre-eclampsia, but also seemed to raise the risk of low birthweight.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2006.