Vitamins C and E a Bust at Preventing Preeclampsia in Diabetic Women

Say it ain't so.

Vitamins C and E get an F+ when it comes to preventing preeclampsia in women with type 1 diabetes, British investigators reported here at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 70th Scientific Sessions. Their study was published online June 25 in the Lancet to coincide with its presentation.

Neither vitamin C nor vitamin E supplements were better than placebo at preventing preeclampsia in diabetic women. Vitamin supplementation also failed to reduce the frequency of gestational hypertension, low birth weight, and the ratio of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 to PAI-2, a measure of endothelial function

"Importantly however, we did not observe any adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes, and in 2 of 11 prespecified subgroup analyses, the risk for preeclampsia was significantly reduced in women with low antioxidant status at baseline randomized to vitamin treatment, compared with women of similar antioxidant status assigned to placebo," said David R. McCance, MD, professor of medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Given the poor performance of vitamins as preventive measures in other conditions — with the notable exception of B vitamins for the prevention of neural tube defects — the results are not particularly surprising but are still disappointing, said M. Sue Kirkman, MD, vice-president of clinical affairs at the ADA, who was not involved in the study but who comoderated the session at which it was presented.

No surprise at all.