A recent study found that pregnant women deficient in the sunshine vitamin have a 40 percent increased likelihood of developing severe preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition that affects 5-8 percent of pregnancies.

Researchers from Ohio State University College of Medicine examined samples from 700 women who had developed preeclampsia and 3000 who had not, and identified the 40 percent reduced risk in women with adequate vitamin D levels before 26 weeks of gestation. However, the study did not find an association between vitamin D levels and mild preeclampsia.

“Scientists believe that severe preeclampsia and mild preeclampsia have different root causes,” lead researcher Dr. Severe preeclampsia poses much higher health risks to the mother and child, so linking it with a factor that we can easily treat, like vitamin D deficiency, holds great potential.”

Preeclampsia is  most often characterized by a rapid rise in blood pressure that can lead to seizure, stroke, multiple organ failure and death of the mother and/or baby, according to the Preeclampsia Foundation.

Click here to view the research.

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