Magnesium supplementation in pregnancy. A double-blind study. Effects of a combination of evening primrose oil (gamma linolenic acid) and fish oil (eicosapentaenoic + docahexaenoic acid) versus magnesium, and versus placebo in preventing pre-eclampsia. [Magnesium substitution in pregnancy. A prospective, randomized double-blind study].
The effect of magnesium supplementation in pregnancy was studied in 568 women who were treated with 15 mmol magnesium-aspartate-hydrochloride per day or aspartic acid as placebo given orally during pregnancy from less than or equal to 16 weeks. Allocation to the two groups was performed according to the women's birthdates. Magnesium supplementation during pregnancy was associated with significantly fewer maternal hospitalizations, a reduction in preterm delivery, and less frequent referral of the newborn to the neonatal intensive care unit. The results suggest that magnesium supplementation during pregnancy has a significant influence on fetal and maternal morbidity both before and after delivery. In a placebo controlled, partially double-blinded, clinical trial, a combination of evening primrose oil and fish oil was compared to Magnesium Oxide, and to a Placebo in preventing Pre-Eclampsia of Pregnancy. All were given as nutritional supplements for six months to a group of primiparous and multiparous pregnant women. Some of these women had personal or family histories of hypertension (21%). Only those patients who received prenatal care at the Central Maternity Hospital for Luanda were included in the study. Compared to the Placebo group (29%), the group receiving the mixture of evening primrose oil and fish oil containing Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had a significantly lower incidence of edema (13%, p = 0.004). The group receiving Magnesium Oxide had statistically significant fewer subjects who developed hypertension of pregnancy. There were 3 cases of eclampsia, all in the Placebo group. The results of a prospective, randomized double-blind study of magnesium substitution in pregnancy are reported. Of 997 gravidae, 985 were included in the study. Of these, 485 received magnesium aspartate (Mg 5-Longoral) and 500 a placebo. The results show that the course of pregnancy was better in the group which received the magnesium aspartate in a daily dose of 15 mmol (Mg 5-Longoral) than in the group given placebo. Among the women treated with magnesium were fewer premature births (less than 258 days' gestation). The proportion of newborns, small for date (less than 2500 g), was lower, as was the proportion of newborns with intrauterine retardation (greater than 10th percentile). There were significantly fewer cases of EPH gestosis in the magnesium group, and no serious side effects of treatment. In the authors' opinion, magnesium substitution should be included in routine antenatal care.
There is not enough high quality evidence to show that dietary magnesium supplementation during pregnancy is beneficial.
[Note: The 15 citations in the awaiting classification section of the review may alter the conclusions of the review once assessed.]