(P07-055-23) Maternal Carotenoid Nutritional Status Is Associated With Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Objectives: One in ten pregnant women develop a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP). Nutrition in hypertensive women is vital to control blood pressure and prevent further pregnancy complications. Adequate carotenoid and tocopherol nutritional status is associated with a decreased risk for poor infant health outcomes, but little is known about the relationship between these essential nutrients and maternal hypertensive status. The objective of this study is to identify associations between HDP and maternal plasma carotenoid and tocopherol concentrations.

Methods: Maternal plasma samples were collected from mothers at time of delivery and analyzed using HPLC for lutein + zeaxanthin (L+Z), b-cryptoxanthin, lycopene (trans-, cis-, and total), α-carotene, b-carotene (trans-, cis-, and total), vitamin A (retinol), and vitamin E (α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and δ-tocopherol). ACC/AHA guidelines were used to classify women into hypertension groups (chronic, gestational, or normotensive). Kruskal-Wallis tests compared median nutrient levels between normotensive mothers and mothers with chronic or gestational hypertension. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. 

Results: In a cohort of 218 pregnant women, 12.4% had chronic hypertension and 26.1% had gestational hypertension. Median maternal serum levels of b-cryptoxanthin (p=0.01), cis-lycopene (p=0.1), total lycopene (p=0.03), α-carotene (p < 0.01), trans-b-carotene (p=0.01), cis-b-carotene (p=0.02), and total b-carotene (p=0.03) differed significantly between normotensive, chronic hypertension, and gestational hypertension groups, with normotensive mothers having higher median carotenoid plasma concentrations than hypertensive mothers. There were no significant associations between hypertensive status and maternal plasma concentrations of L+Z, trans-lycopene, retinol, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, or δ-tocopherol.

Conclusions: Our study shows that mothers with hypertension have lower plasma concentrations of carotenoids, which could contribute to infant morbidities such as preterm birth. More research is needed to evaluate how dietary interventions during pregnancy may prevent the morbidities associated with HDP.

Funding Sources: This research was funded by the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pediatrics and the Child Health Research Institute.