Lead exposure is one of the concerns of pregnant women. There are women who due to their occupations are exposed to high levels of lead. But we are also at risk who do not work with lead, because we are exposed to environmental pollution. Various substances can be found in the air, including lead, which although in smaller quantities, accumulates in the skeleton for decades.
When the woman is pregnant or breastfeeding, lead can pass to the baby through the blood or milk, causing a low birth weight, neurological problems, cognitive defects and in extreme cases, fetal death.
Researchers from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have found that pregnant women who took a daily supplement of 1,200 milligrams of calcium showed a reduction of up to 31 percent in blood lead levels.
Obviously, in women who had worked with lead the decrease was more pronounced, but on average lead levels decreased by 11%.
All pregnant women are told to take a vitamin supplement composed of several vitamins, including calcium, which, according to this study, would play a critical role in reducing the exposure of the fetus and the newborn to lead.
For its part, we have seen that calcium during pregnancy is key to prevent hypertension and reduce the risk of preclampsia, as well as to reduce the risk of premature delivery and other complications. Therefore, it is important to have a balanced diet with a recommended contribution of between 1,000 and 1,300 mg daily since in addition, according to the study, it contributes to minimizing the effects of lead exposure.
