Calcium may help to prevent pre-eclampsia

Calcium could help pregnant women to reduce the risk of developing pre eclampsia, a study suggests.

Academics at the University of the Witwatersrand and University of Fort Hare in South Africa, Leeds University and Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Brazil, found that calcium supplements before conception and in the early stages of pregnancy helped to reduce pre-eclampsia but had no effect on the risk of premature birth or stillbirth.

Most of the 15,500 women in the study were at low risk of pregnancy complications but had low levels of calcium in their diet.