Association of dietary calcium with blood pressure and weight gain in pregnant women

DOI 10.17470/NF-016-1016-2

Mahsa Mohajeri, Ali Nemati, Sadegh Hazrati, Farideh Iranpour

Objective: To investigate the association of dietary calcium with blood pressure and weight gain in pregnant women.
Design:ThisstudyuseddatacollectedfromhealthcarecentresinArdebilfor137pregnantwomenaged30–35years.Dietarycalciumintakewasassessedusingasingle24-hourfoodrecallandNutritionistIVsoftware.Heightandweightweremeasuredafterovernightfastingwithallparticipantswearinglightgowns.Bloodpressuremeasurementsweretakeninthesittingpositionafterarestingperiodofatleast5min.Linearregressionwasusedtoevaluatetherelationshipofdietarycalciumintakewithweightgainandbloodpressure.
Results: Mean±SD systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 150.19±50.45 and 70.18±11.16 mmHg, respectively. Mean±SD calcium intake was 784.59±33.36 mg/day. There was a significant association between dietary calcium intake and diastolic blood pressure and weight gain in pregnant women (p≤0.05). However, the association between dietary calcium intake and systolic blood pressure and weight was not significant (p≥0.05).
Conclusion: Dietary calcium intake can affect blood pressure and weight gain in pregnant women.