A nutrition study involving a group of pregnant women in Assisi, Italy. Part 2: Determination of vitamin nutriture.

A study was conducted on the biochemical vitamin status of sixty middle class parturient women ages 20-44 and 33 newborns in the gynaecology and obstetrics ward of the Assisi Hospital, Italy. Maternal venous blood obtained immediately after delivery and mixed venous-arterial cord blood was used to assess respectively the status of the mother and the neonate for vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin and folate. Large percentages of the women were at risk (either marginal or deficient states), for thiamin (30%), riboflavin (42%) and folate (100%). In general, even though the mothers appear to be at risk for three out of the four vitamins studied, there is no indication that the infants are also at risk. Further research must be conducted to clarify the clinical implications of hypovitaminosis in pregnant women.