[Bases to determine the dose of vitamin C in pregnancy].
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.
Casanueva
Esther
E
Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Mexico. casanuev@servidor.unam.mx
Angulo
María Eugenia
ME
Goidberg
Sharon
S
Pfeffer
Frania
F
Meza-Camacho
Carlos
C
Vadillo-Ortega
Felipe
F
Rothenberg
Stephen J
SJ
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
D010919:Placebos; D001205:Ascorbic Acid