Purpose: Evidence regarding the relationship between maternal calcium intake during pregnancy and childhood blood pressure is limited and inconsistent. The present prebirth cohort study examined this issue in Japanese children aged 6 years.
Methods: Subjects were 854 mother-child pairs. Maternal intake during pregnancy was assessed with a validated diet history questionnaire. A research technician measured systolic and diastolic blood pressures at home in children aged 6 years using an electronic sphygmomanometer. Analysis of covariance was used to calculate adjusted means of systolic and diastolic blood pressures according to maternal calcium intake during pregnancy.
Results: Maternal calcium intake during pregnancy was not related to systolic blood pressure in children. On the other hand, compared with children of mothers whose calcium intake during pregnancy was in the lowest quartile, those of mothers whose calcium intake during pregnancy was in the highest quartile had 2.8 mmHg lower adjusted mean diastolic blood pressure (95% confidence interval: 0.3-5.3 mmHg, P for trend = .009).
Conclusions: Higher maternal calcium intake during pregnancy may be associated with a decrease in diastolic, but not systolic, blood pressure in Japanese children aged 6 years.
Keywords: Blood pressure; Calcium; Japanese; Maternal intake; Prebirth cohort; Pregnancy.
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