Vitamin E status in women and the risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy
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At a Glance A new study has found that maternal vitamin E status during the first trimester of pregnancy may influence the risk of early miscarriage in women. Read more about this research below. |
Originally
tocopherols were discovered for their role in animal reproduction, but
little to date has been known about the contribution of vitamin E
deficiencies in human pregnancy loss. A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
has shown that maternal vitamin E status in the first trimester may
influence the risk of early pregnancy loss. This is believed to be the
first population study of early pregnancy vitamin E nutritional status
and the risk of miscarriage in a human population.
The study was conducted in rural Bangladesh, a typically undernourished population. The researchers measured alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol plasma status of a case-cohort study of 1,605 pregnant Bangladeshi women. 1,161 of the women (72.3%) had low-to-deficient vitamin E status defined by a plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration of <12.0 µmol/L. The most important finding was that women with low alpha-tocopherol concentrations were almost twice more likely to miscarry than women with normal status. Women with low gamma-tocopherol status were also significantly more likely to miscarry than those with higher concentrations.
The study was conducted in rural Bangladesh, a typically undernourished population. The researchers measured alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol plasma status of a case-cohort study of 1,605 pregnant Bangladeshi women. 1,161 of the women (72.3%) had low-to-deficient vitamin E status defined by a plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration of <12.0 µmol/L. The most important finding was that women with low alpha-tocopherol concentrations were almost twice more likely to miscarry than women with normal status. Women with low gamma-tocopherol status were also significantly more likely to miscarry than those with higher concentrations.
The
cutoff of plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration 12.0 µmol/L was
proposed to define vitamin E deficiency in normal, healthy adults.
However, it should be noted that currently there is no clearly defined
consensus on the definition of vitamin E deficiency in pregnant women
because alpha-tocopherol concentrations increase with blood lipids over
the course of pregnancy.
While
these findings show an association between adequate alpha-tocopherol
status and reduced risk of miscarriage in human populations, future
studies exploring the potential beneficial effects of adequate vitamin E
status during pregnancy are warranted.
Ahmed
Shamim A, Schulze K, Merrill RD, et al. First trimester plasma
tocopherols are associated with risk of miscarriage in rural Bangladesh.
Am J Clin Nutr February 2015 ajcn.094920; First published online November 26, 2014. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.094920
Low vitamin D levels are known to be associated with poor health outcomes or increased risk in many diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers. 
Type 2 diabetes has become a significant worldwide health care challenge, as it is associated with various health problems and increased mortality risk. There is increasing evidence that vitamin D influences many non-skeletal medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer, certain autoimmune diseases and type 2 diabetes. Observational research has shown that seasonal variation in blood sugar control in the winter may be partly due to vitamin D, since vitamin D levels are generally much lower in the winter. 
