Plasma Ascorbic Acid Level in Iranian Mothers and Newborns and Its Relationship with Birth Weight

Plasma ascorbic acid level is a reasonable index of reports which suggest that decreased maternal ascorbic acid level is associated with certain complications such as prematurity,preeclampsia, low birth weight and increased prenatal mortality. Our objective was to determine the pattern of ascorbic acid levels in mothers and their newborns and its relationship with birth weight. The current research studied 101 mothers, who were administrated for childbirth in 5 different hospitals in Shiraz, and their newborns..Their anthropometric characteristics were recorded, blood sample were collected from mothers before the delivery, and cord blood was collected after the delivery. Plasma ascorbic acid was measured by colorimetric method. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Mean of birth weight was 3233.871 ± 411.43 grams. Moreover the mean of maternal age was 23.604 ± 9.97 years. Mean maternal plasma ascorbic acid was 1.22 mg/dl and significantly lower than in the cord blood, which was 1.97 mg/dl (p < 0.001). Plasma ascorbic acid was correlated to birth weight, and showed a significant difference in birth weight groups of lower than 3215 grams (P = 0.0006). The higher level of ascorbic acid in the cord blood is in agreement with the "Selective Retention" hypothesis. On the other hand, it seems necessary to consider vitamin C as an important part of the maternal diet for maintaining optimal plasma level, which supports the newborn for optimal health and birth weight, especially during pregnancy.