Pregnant women with high lead levels can reduce risk to baby

Women who have high lead levels can pass this on to their baby while pregnant or breastfeeding. A woman who was exposed to high levels of lead earlier in life, perhaps through working with lead-containing products, may still have high levels of lead in their bones. As well, women in the so-called third world countries may have increased levels because of their living conditions.

Researchers from the University of Michigan have found that women in this high risk group can reduce the risk to their babies simply by consuming more calcium. They said that women who take 1200  mg of calcium every day could see up to a 31% reduction in lead levels in their blood, with the average beging 11%.

You can read more about the study here: Calcium During Pregnancy Reduces Harmful Blood Lead Levels, Study Finds.

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Tags: pregnancy blog, lead levels in pregnancy, lead, calcium in pregnancy