Whether or not supplemental vitamins can cure illnesses or reduce the effect of their various symptoms has been hotly debated for years. Recent research has attempted to investigate the effect of supplemental vitamin intake on a condition known as pre-eclampsia.

What is pre-eclampsia? The Preeclampsia Foundation, a non-profit organization established in the year 2000 to promote safe pregnancy and post-partum research, public education and patient support, states that:

“Preeclampsia is a disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period and affects both the mother and the unborn baby. Affecting at least 5-8% of all pregnancies, it is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. Preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading global cause of maternal and infant illness and death. By conservative estimates, these disorders are responsible for 76,000 deaths each year.”

Pre-eclampsia symptoms have been associated with toxic free radicals. Following a small study that suggested that using vitamins C and E could lessen an expectant mother’s chances of developing pre-eclampsia, St Thomas’ Hospital in London conducted a followup trial (the VIP, or vitamins in Pre-eclampsia Trial) to determine whether these results were conclusive. The hope for the trial was to find a way to reduce free radicals and avoid their detrimental effects.

For the trial, over 2,400 women with known risk factors for pre-eclampsia, such as kidney problems, clotting disorders, diabetes and high blood pressure, were recruited. Half of the women involved in the study were given 1000mg of vitamin C per day day, (the equivalent of eating 22 oranges) and 400 IU of vitamin E (equivalent to eating 117 avocados). The other half of the trial participants were given placebos. The women who were actually given vitamins began to take them at between 14 and 22 weeks of pregnancy, until birth.

Pre-eclampsia typically occurs sometime after 20 weeks gestation (in the late 2nd or 3rd trimesters or middle to late pregnancy), though it can occur earlier.

What did the trial find? Although hopes were high, the trial found no substantial distinction between those who took placebos and those who took antioxidant vitamins.

The study researchers concluded that taking vitamins C and E did not decrease the chances of pre-eclampsia in women with clinical risk factors.

They did find that those who took the vitamins gave birth to babies weighing 60 grams lighter than those who did not. More studies will be held to determine if the vitamins were a factor in low birth weight.