Maternal alcohol consumption may influence cord blood ascorbic acid concentration: findings from a study of Brazilian mothers and their newborns.

Studies that have investigated ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations in cord blood have pointed to significant associations with maternal blood AA concentrations, smoking, age, diet, type of delivery, duration of gestation, fetal distress and birth weight. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between cord blood AA concentrations in newborns and maternal characteristics. A total of 117 Brazilian healthy parturients were included in this cross-sectional study. The concentrations of AA in blood were determined by the HPLC method. Data concerning socio-economic, demographic, obstetric, nutritional and health characteristics of the parturients, including alcohol consumption and smoking habit, were assessed by a standardised questionnaire. A FFQ was used to investigate the intake of foods rich in vitamin C. Cord blood AA concentration was significantly correlated with per capita income (r 0.26; P = 0.005), maternal blood AA concentration (r 0.48; P < 0.001) and maternal vitamin C-rich food intake score (r 0.36; P < 0.001). The linear regression model including maternal AA concentration, alcohol consumption, smoking, parity, vitamin C-rich food intake score and per capita income explained 31.13 % of the variation in cord blood AA concentrations in newborns. We recommend further experimental studies to assess the effects of ethanol on placental AA uptake, and epidemiological cohort studies to evaluate in detail the influence of maternal alcohol consumption on cord blood AA concentrations.

Concentrations of ascorbic acid in the plasma of pregnant smokers and nonsmokers and their newborns.

A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the differences in vitamin C status of Brazilian pregnant women smokers and nonsmokers and their respective newborn babies, and to assess the prevalence of hypovitaminosis C among these two groups of women. The study involved 127 pregnant women, 40 pregnant smokers and 87 pregnant nonsmokers, admitted to a maternity hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Data concerning the pregnant women's socioeconomic, demographic, obstetric, and nutritional characteristics were collected, as well as data concerning the newborns' anthropometry and Apgar scores. A strongly significant correlation (p < 0.001) was found between the concentrations of ascorbic acid (AA) in both pregnant smokers (r = 0.77) and pregnant nonsmokers (r = 0.61) and their respective umbilical cords. The mean umbilical AA concentration was significantly higher than the meanAA concentration in pregnant women (92.05 +/- 41.13 vs. 33.39 +/- 18.25 micromol/L, p < 0.001). It was observed that the mean AA was significantly lower for the newborns (p = 0.03) and pregnant women (p = 0.02) from the smoking group. Forty percent (40%) of the smokers and 27% of the nonsmokers presented hypovitaminosis C. We suggest an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables by pregnant women, especially the smokers.

Plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid in parturients from a hospital in Southeast Brazil.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Pregnancy is a period characterized by high metabolic requirements and physiological changes in the female organism. During this period, low body stores of vitamins and minerals including antioxidants can have adverse effects on the mother and foetus. This cross-sectional study assessed plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid (AA) in 117 parturients admitted into a university hospital in São Paulo city, Brazil. METHODS: The concentrations of AA were determined by the high performance liquid chromatographic method. Data concerning socioeconomic, demographic, obstetric and nutritional characteristics of the parturients were collected by a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of AA deficiency (<22.7 micromol/L) among the parturients was 30.8%. Mean plasma AA concentrations were lower in single/divorced women (27.84+/-3.48 micromol/L) compared with married/single with partner women (34.78+/-1.85 micromol/L) (p=0.047). Blood AA concentrations were significantly correlated with per capita income (r=0.36, p<0.001) and vitamin C-rich food intake score (r=0.42, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of hypovitaminosis C detected in this study is probably due to an inadequate intake of foods rich in vitamin C and low income. We alert to the need for increasing the intake of vitamin C-rich foods through educational programs, especially for low income populations.