According to the research team Dutchman, excessive oxidative stress may contribute to the development of congenital heart defects.
Due to the high levels of vitamins E and A, is believed to exert pro-oxidant effects, which theorize that excessive intake of an asset at the time of conception could affect embryogenesis.
Led by Dr RPM Steegers-Theunissen at University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the researchers conducted a case-control study among participants in the Netherlands HAVEN (heart defects, vascular state, genetic factors and Nutrition).
As reported in the February issue of BJOG: The International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, their analysis included 276 mothers of children with heart defects and 324 control mothers.
When their children were 16 months old, mothers completed questionnaires on food consumption frequency for the 4 weeks preceding the survey. According to the authors, eating habits during this time are comparable to pre-conception period.
Compared with the lowest quarter of vitamin E intake from diet alone (4.0-10.6 mg / day), the odds ratio for congenital heart defects to the top quartile (14.9-33.8 mg / day) was 1 , 7 (p for trend = 0.01).
In addition, dietary intake of vitamin E above 12.6 mg / day plus the use of a supplement containing vitamin E increased the risk 5 – to 9-fold (p = 0.008 for the trend). The effect was not modified by supplementation of folic acid.
Vitamin E, which is dangerous in pregnancy
By contrast, high consumption of retinol – the biologically active form of vitamin A – had no statistically significant effect on risk.
Dr. Steegers-Theunissen and colleagues point out that high levels of vitamin E “may change the imbalance of oxidants / antioxidant status (extra) embryonic tissues.
Other possible mechanisms of teratogenicity of high vitamin E, say, would include the modification of genes involved in embryonic heart development and inhibition of a protein involved in detoxification of drugs and endogenous toxins.
The researchers gave support to “future studies (that) focus on such benefits as the teratogenic effects of natural and synthetic antioxidants on reproductive outcomes.