Essential vitamins and minerals during pregnancy linked to reduced risk of high blood pressure

Expectant mothers have a long list of advice to follow for both the health of the baby and their own well-being – target weight gain , foods to eat and to avoid, appropriate levels of physical activity and habits to change. Recent research suggests another tip for the list: Optimize specific essential vitamins and minerals for future heart health.

This month, as we celebrate the moms in our lives and all they do , we can also encourage expectant moms to take better care of themselves. That could include taking steps today for the chance of healthier blood pressure levels years from now.

Pregnant women whose blood contains higher levels of essential vitamins and minerals – such as B12, copper and manganese – may face a lower risk for high blood pressure two decades later, new research suggests. The findings were published earlier this year in the journal Hypertension.

Manganese, selenium, magnesium and copper are essential metals with anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory properties that help protect against cardiovascular disease. Previous research has linked higher levels of manganese to a lower risk for preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy. In the new study, researchers explored whether higher levels of these metals in a woman’s blood during pregnancy could affect the risk of developing high blood pressure later in life.

“People are constantly exposed to heavy metals and trace elements, and much research has shown that exposure to those metals and elements may have an impact on cardiovascular health, especially hypertension,” lead study author Dr. Mingyu Zhang said in a news release. Zhang is an epidemiologist and instructor in medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, both in Boston.

Zhang and his colleagues analyzed data for 493 women enrolled in Project Viva, an ongoing study of women and children in eastern Massachusetts that launched in 1999. Using blood samples collected between 1999 and 2002 during the early stages of the women’s pregnancies, the researchers measured concentrations of nonessential metals (including arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, mercury and lead) and essential metals (including copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium and zinc). They also measured folate and vitamin B12.

Nearly 20 years later, between 2017 and 2021, the researchers measured blood pressure for the participants, who were then an average of 51 years old. Participants were considered to have high blood pressure if their measurements were 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or above, or if they reported taking medication to control their blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, blood pressure is normal if the systolic reading (the top number) is below 120 mmHg and the diastolic (the bottom number) is under 80 mmHg.

For women whose blood levels of copper doubled during pregnancy, the risk of having high blood pressure in midlife was 25% lower. A doubling of manganese during pregnancy resulted in a 20% lower risk. When looking at the combination of copper, manganese, selenium and zinc, the higher the levels found during pregnancy, the lower the risk for high blood pressure in midlife. There was no link between nonessential metals and blood pressure risk.

Higher vitamin B12 levels during pregnancy were also associated with a lower midlife risk for high blood pressure.

Because researchers did not analyze where the women were getting their vitamins and minerals, such as foods or dietary supplements, they cautioned that their findings should not be interpreted as recommendations.

But, Zhang said, “optimizing these essential metals, minerals and vitamins, particularly copper, manganese and vitamin B12, during pregnancy may offer protective benefits against hypertension in midlife, an especially critical time period for women’s future cardiovascular risk in later life.”

More research is needed, he said, to decide the best dietary intake of these minerals and micronutrients. The researchers hope to identify women at high risk for developing high blood pressure later in life and take action during pregnancy, either with enhanced nutrition or supplements.