title: [Bases to determine the dose of vitamin C in pregnancy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determine the dose of Vitamin C able to maintain a leukocyte Vitamin C concentration of > or =18 microg/10(8) cells, in pregnant women with 28 to 32 weeks of gestation, in order to compile a database to estimate the daily recommended intake (DRI) during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stage 1: acute supplementation study. A group of 10 healthy women in late first and early second trimester pregnancy were supplemented with 0 to 200 mg vitamin C/day during one week each. Stage 2: a randomized double blind study (placebo vs. vitamin C [100 mg/d]) was carried out with 52 women studied from week 20 to week 32 of pregnancy. Their plasma and leukocyte vitamin C concentrations were measured every 4 weeks to evaluate the previously established supplementation dose.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stage 1: with the 100 mg/day dose, leukocyte vitamin C saturation was reached without increasing urinary excretion. Stage 2: leukocyte concentration of vitamin C decreased throughout pregnancy in women receiving placebo, while supplemented women maintained their concentrations > or =18 microg/10(8) cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 100 mg/day dose of vitamin C during the second half of pregnancy keeps leukocyte storage and could be useful to establish the DRI of Vitamin C during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Mexico. casanuev@servidor.unam.mx
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casanueva
authors.forename: María Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Angulo
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goidberg
authors.forename: Frania
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pfeffer
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meza-Camacho
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vadillo-Ortega
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Rothenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D010919:Placebos; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos; D001205:Ascorbic Acid