Serum Carotenoids and Fat-Soluble Vitamins inWomenWith Type 1 Diabetes and Preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE—Increased oxidative stress and immune dysfunction are implicated in pre-eclampsia (PE) and may contribute to the two- to fourfold increase in PE prevalence among women with type 1 diabetes. Prospective measures of fat-soluble vitamins in diabetic pregnancy are therefore of interest. RESEARCHDESIGNANDMETHODS—Maternal serum carotenoids (a- andb-carotene, lycopene, and lutein) and vitamins A, D, and E (a- and g-tocopherols) were measured at first (12.26 1.9 weeks [mean6 SD], visit 1), second (21.66 1.5 weeks, visit 2), and third (31.56 1.7 weeks, visit 3) trimesters of pregnancy in 23 women with type 1 diabetes who subsequently developed PE (DM PE+) and 24 women with type 1 diabetes, matched for age, diabetes duration, HbA1c, and parity, who did not develop PE (DM PE2). Data were analyzed without and with adjustment for baseline differences in BMI, HDL cholesterol, and prandial status. RESULTS—In unadjusted analysis, in DM PE+ versus DM PE2, a-carotene and b-carotene were 45 and 53 % lower, respectively, at visit 3 (P, 0.05), before PE onset. In adjusted analyses, the difference in b-carotene at visit 3 remained significant. Most participants were vitamin D deficient (,20 ng/mL), and vitamin D levels were lower in DM PE+ versus DM PE2 throughou