Metal Mixtures During Pregnancy May Lower Midlife Hypertension Risk
FRIDAY, March 14, 2025 -- Optimizing copper, manganese, and vitamin B12 during pregnancy can help lower the risk for high blood pressure and hypertension in midlife, according to a study published online March 6 in Hypertension to coincide with the American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2025 Scientific Sessions, held from March 6 to 9 in New Orleans.
Mingyu Zhang, Ph.D., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues measured nonessential and essential metals in red blood cells along with folate and vitamin B12 in plasma during pregnancy (participants enrolled 1999 to 2002) to examine long-term associations with midlife blood pressure and hypertension. Midlife blood pressure was measured from 2017 to 2021.
A total of 493 women were followed for a median of 18.1 years. The researchers found that a doubling of copper and manganese was associated with 0.75 and 0.80 times the risk for hypertension, respectively, after adjustment. A slightly increased risk for hypertension was seen in association with higher cesium and selenium, but the 95 percent confidence intervals were wide and crossed the null. A doubling of vitamin B12 was associated with 3.64- and 2.52-mm Hg lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. There was a monotonic association for the essential metal mixture with lower blood pressure, while threshold effects were seen for its association with hypertension.
"These findings suggest that optimizing essential metal levels during pregnancy, particularly, copper and manganese, along with vitamin B12, may offer protective benefits against high blood pressure and hypertension in midlife," the authors write.
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